Hugh Laurie speaks candidly about his struggle with depression

Published: January 05, 2010

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Gone are the days when this kind of mental condition was considered something to be ashamed off –the scene has changed as a majority of the population suffers from some form of depression.

Hugh Laurie, a famous British actor, writer and comedian has been struggling from acute clinical depression. Like other renowned faces Kirsten Dunst and Gwyneth Paltrow, Hugh always talked about his depression to the media because he feels that depression is not a taboo. Cinemablend.com quotes the star as saying: “I do know depression is a disease… It is the last great taboo - something people still don’t want to talk about.”

Being the victim of this depressive condition, Hugh opines that depression should be taken seriously because delayed treatment can cost you your life. There was the time when he experienced loss of emotions where he could not express his fear or excitement and suffered from this low phase. Of this time, Laurie said, “It affected everything - my family and friends. I was a pain in the arse to have around. I was miserable and self-absorbed. It’s actually selfish to be depressed and not try and do anything about it.”

Hugh Laurie devoted two long years in psychotherapy to bring about the necessary change in his life. His battle with depression started in his early teens and stretched into his successful career and happy marriage.

Hugh found a way out of depression with antidepressants. He said: “They’re something I’ve tried that has helped. They’re probably good for my work because they help with confidence, and confidence is the prerequisite of all successful endeavors.”

The love and support of his family helped Hugh Laurie to bravely face depression and owing his recovery also to them, he said: “It’s terrific, and I’m very lucky. I’m so much happier now and more accepting of things. I used to get consumed with things that were in the past. I saw a million different versions of who I could have been and all of them were better: ‘Why didn’t I do this? Why didn’t I do that?’”

Surprisingly, even though Hugh was fiercely private about his personal life with the media, he decided to spill the beans about his depression. Later regretting this decision, he told Parade Magazine: “I wish I’d kept my mouth shut about that… Now an undue weight has been given to this aspect of my life. I don’t like to be thought of as this guy who has nothing else to talk about except how miserable my lot was.”

Whether he regrets opening up about depression is not important. Far more important is that he did open up about this issue, which affects millions the world over. Sometimes it takes a celebrity to discuss their personal battles for others to realize it’s time to seek help.

Other clinically depressed celebrities include Jim Carrey, J.K. Rowling, Halle Berry, Kylie Minogue and Owen Wilson.

Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hugh_Laurie_2009.jpg;

Author: Kristin Dos Santos

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