Joanna Lumley has said she thinks people are jumping on the ‘mental illness bandwagon’ in a candid new interview.
During a talk in UK News The TV presenter, 75, who had previously spoken out about having a nervous breakdown in her 20s, was asked about her work supporting mental health charity Mind.
She said: ‘I have to say, this is a horrible thing to say, but I think the mental health issue is being hyped right now because anyone who is even remotely sad is saying they have mental issues.
Have your say: Joanna Lumley has said she thinks people are jumping on the ‘mental illness bandwagon’ in a candid new interview
‘You say, ‘This is what is called being human.’ When someone dies and you grieve, that’s human. That is being human. You are not mentally ill.
“And I think it’s also horrible for people who are really mentally ill or clinically depressed, that everyone says they have to get some kind of special treatment.
And everybody is jumping on the mental illness bandwagon and I think that’s wrong.
‘Though much ridiculed, stiff upper lip and no whining and trying to move on…’
Honest: During an interview on GB News, the TV presenter, 75, who had previously spoken out about having a meltdown in her 20s, was asked about her work supporting mental health charity Mind
She added: ‘Just control yourself! You know what I mean? Of course some of you are going to feel really bad and some of you may be suicidal or mentally depressed, that’s a different thing.
‘But anyone who just says, ‘Oh, burr,’ just thinks, ‘Get over it.’
Piers Morgan was quick to share his agreement, tweeting: ‘I LOVE this…Of course when I’ve said similar things on a regular basis I’ve been called a heartless monster.
“Perhaps now that a national treasure like Dame Joanna has said it, people can understand that it’s actually a good thing to show mental toughness and a bit of a ‘stiff upper lip.’
Candid: Told interviewer Isabel Oakeshott, “I have to say this is horrible to say, but I think the mental health thing is getting overblown right now.”
Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna has been very open about her own mental health battles.
In 2016, she revealed that a six-month breakdown left her crippled with panic attacks and fearing killers were trying to kill her.
The veteran actress described how she suffered a “total nervous breakdown” in 1971 after she thought she saw snipers aiming rifles at her from the boxes of the Garrick Theatre.
The episode triggered a six-month psychotic breakdown that left the actress gasping for breath and unable to leave the house.
Duro: She continued, “I think it’s horrible for people who are really mentally ill or clinically depressed, that everyone says they have to have some kind of special treatment.”
She said: ‘It was a complete nervous breakdown. Then I left that play, I ran away from the play. It was a Saturday morning.
“I got up in the morning and I went and I sat in the corner of my room and I thought for about an hour and then I went straight, like a dropout, I went to the station.”
Joanna’s breakdown occurred in her mid-20s, while she was struggling to raise her son, Jamie, as a single mother.
The actress fled to her parents’ home in Kent for six months to recover, revealing that at the height of her illness, she was having trouble breathing.
She said: ‘I was away for six months. I was quite shocked. My nerves were gone. I didn’t dare go to the shops. I had a very bad time. I spent the whole day thinking, ‘How am I going to get through the day?’ I had those panic attacks when you think, ‘Breathe in, breathe out, just keep breathing in.
‘Study the flowers. What color are the flowers? Anything to keep your mind from going crazy. And I thought, I have to get out of this, how do I do it?
Joanna said she often imagined worst-case scenarios to boost confidence to get out of the house and go shopping.
She told The Times: ‘To try to force myself to go out to the shops to buy food, I imagined the worst that could happen at each stage. If I fell to the ground, what would happen?
Difficult: Joanna’s breakdown occurred in her mid-20s, while she was struggling to raise her son, Jamie, as a single mother (pictured in 1994)
‘Always the same answer came back to my head. Someone will help you up. I’ll fall on the floor and I don’t have any pants on and I drop a stack of drinks and they break. Now what? Same answer: ‘Someone will help you up’.
In 2011, the actress, who previously described the ordeal as “a little wobbly,” told Lord Bragg on the Living The Life Sky Arts series that she believed her meltdown was due to financial concerns.
She said: ‘It was Marmite on toast for breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner. There was nothing else to eat, we were so poor. I cut towel racks to burn in the fire. I was happy and it didn’t matter, but we were broke and I couldn’t see how I would manage to be a good enough father to my dear son and how I could really get through life.’
The star revealed that hypnosis and talking about her fears finally allowed her to regain her health and start attending auditions once again.
After her breakdown, the actress landed a string of roles that made her a household name, including the role of Patsy Stone on Absolutely Fabulous and crime-fighting secret agent Purdey on the 1970s TV series The New Avengers.
If you are struggling with depression, please call the Mind Charity helpline on 0300 123 3393 for confidential information.
Star: After her breakdown, the actress landed a series of roles that made her a household name, including the role of Patsy Stone in Absolutely Fabulous.
.
