Hugh Laurie, known for his roles in Blackadder and House, has spoken candidly about his battle with severe clinical depression, admitting that he was "miserable and self-absorbed" during his struggles.
The 67-year-old actor from Oxford, who starred in the third and fourth seasons of the BBC sitcom Blackadder, discussed his mental health in 2012, revealing how the condition affected his family and friends.
Depression's impact on family
Laurie told The Standard that his depression "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."
He accepted that his wife and children were affected by his depression, adding: "I diagnosed myself as being depressed and decided I would try and sort it out. I don't know enough about the illness to say whether it was clinical, but it was certainly more than feeling a bit sad."
Realisation during a stock-car race
Laurie knew he "had a problem" when he was attending a stock-car race for charity and, in the middle of the race with cars exploding and turning over, he realised he was "bored".
"I thought: 'This can't be right. I should either be hating it with every fibre of my being or loving it, because this is an extreme experience.' I realised this was the state of mind of a depressed person," he concluded.
