Robert Lindsay talks of his painful battle with depression
By Catherine Walker
The actor Robert Lindsay has been a household name for decades. He first rose to fame in 
the 1970’s with his role as Wolfie in the TV comedy Citizen Smith. Today he is well known for the part he played as the dentist Ben Harper in the TV series My Family.
In a recent article in the Daily Mail Lindsay says of his decision to take the part in My Family:
‘As I got older and had kids, I realised I couldn’t just travel the world to work or swan off with the Royal Shakespeare Company for months on end. My Family gave me a nice lifestyle and time to be with my wife, Rosie, and the children.’
In this same article Lindsay talks about being ‘very preoccupied’ with success and says that he was very self-absorbed. He openly admits that he escaped reality for years by being on film sets which seemed much more attractive than taking kids camping or going shopping.
It was the realisation that he was suffering from depression and the subsequent treatment which he received that turned his life around. These days it is being a good husband and father that are the most fulfilling things in his life.
Robert Lindsay has suffered from depression for most of his life and also suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). These days he views the world through yellow-tinted glasses which he finds to be a very effective aid to relieve his ‘winter blues’, especially as the days get shorter and winter looms just around the corner.
Lindsay says that the yellow lenses make everything look lighter and that they really do work. He abandoned his use of anti-depressants which he had previously taken to cope with the depression which has hounded him for many years. A course of therapy helped him along with a personal decision to stop worrying so much about his career and, of course, his yellow tinted specs.
Robert Lindsay talks frankly about mistakes that he has made in the past. He openly admits that when his former partner suffered a miscarriage he did not give the support that she needed. He is reported to have said ‘I behaved very badly, but I was too bound up with myself to realise.’ He adds that he blamed her for losing the baby because she continued to work throughout her pregnancy.
His ex-partner told him that he was the one with a problem and that prompted Lindsay to visit Harley Street to seek help. This transformed his life and released some of the anger inside him. It helped him to realise that some childhood experiences had hurt him and he recognised that his mother’s apparent rejection had profoundly disturbed him.
This new awareness helped him to change his behaviour and, years later, when his wife Rosie suffered two miscarriages, he was able to be supportive.
‘I was a completely different person as a result of the therapy. I stayed by Rosie’s side and helped her through,’ Lindsay said.
Robert Lindsay is currently preparing for his return to the London stage with a role in The Lion in Winter. It is encouraging that a high profile actor can feel secure enough to open up about his mental health disorder. May his yellow tinted glasses continue to give Robert a rose-coloured view of life.
