Brian May has written openly about depression over the Christmas period.
In an Instagram post the Queen guitarist, 72, said the festive period “paralyses” him. “I haven’t wanted to show my face because my face was grim. There’s something about this time of the year that paralyses me. Depression, hopelessness, fear…I get engulfed. Is it logical?” he wrote.
“No. Should I be grateful for my life and therefore NOT depressed? Yes. But none of that makes any difference when you look up and the colours have gone out of the world.”
The guitarist said he was “wrenching” himself back into “normality” with “biking, stretching and hot and cold showering”.
May has spoken about his mental heath before. In 2011, he said he “didn’t want to live” in the months following the deaths of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury as well as May’s father in 1991.
Elsewhere in the post May made notes about his second day of Veganuary, appearing to joke that it is “a doddle”.
May is known for his animal rights work, particularly with his commitment to helping farmers solve the problem of bovine TB without resorting to badger culling.
New data provided by the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) has now confirmed that Bohemian Rhapsody was the best-selling home video in the UK in 2019, with 1.7 million units sold — two thirds of which were from DVD or Blu-Ray sales, with the rest from digital downloads.
FOR HELP AND ADVICE ON MENTAL HEALTH:
- YOUNG MINDS – The voice for young people’s health and wellbeing
- MIND – For mental health support, advice and awareness
- CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably for young men
- Time To Change – Let’s end mental health discrimination
- The Samaritans – Confidential support 24 hours a day