Stephen Fry has disclosed that he attempted suicide last year, an incident he had never previously spoken about publicly. The actor, writer, and presenter, who has bipolar disorder, was saved by his producer, who found him unconscious in a hotel room while they were filming abroad.
Speaking at an event in London, Fry, who is president of the mental health charity Mind, said: 'I am the victim of my own moods, more than most people are perhaps, in as much as I have a condition which requires me to take medication so that I don't get either too hyper or too depressed to the point of suicide.' He described the attempt as 'a close-run thing'.
Fry elaborated on the nature of his condition, explaining that when unmedicated, he experiences manic episodes characterised by exuberance, sleeplessness, and grandiosity, followed by depressive episodes. He said: 'There are times when I'm doing QI and I'm going, "Ha ha, yeah, yeah," and inside I'm going "I want to fucking die."'
The QI host also addressed the issue of suicide, stating: 'There is no "why", it's not the right question. There's no reason. If there were a reason for it, you could reason someone out of it.' He has previously spoken about earlier suicide attempts, including his first at age 17 and one in 1995 after walking out of a West End play.
Bipolar disorder affects about 1-2% of the population, according to Mind, and can be controlled with medication such as lithium and anticonvulsants.
