Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal has opened up about the moment police came to his house to section him in November 2023 after his wife of eight months feared he was a danger to himself.
The 59-year-old was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and spent two weeks in a psychiatric hospital with “grey walls, concrete floors, a metal bed with a PVC mattress and no sheets on it”, before being transferred to a clinic for a further six weeks of intense psychiatry sessions.
Blumenthal’s intervention came following months of manic behaviour, which saw him talk at speed for hours without pausing.
The chef became obsessed with Newton and Einstein’s theories of evolution and barely slept. He believed the television was talking to him and hallucinated images, sound and touch.
It was after Blumenthal saw a gun on the table in front of him, drew a picture of it, and showed his wife, Melanie Ceysson, that she called the mayor in their village in Provence, France, for help.
Speaking to The Times, Blumenthal said he did think it was strange when he spotted a policeman at the back of his house. “But I also thought, ‘He seems like a really nice man,’” he reflected. “So he came in, we sat down on the sofa and I showed him my OBE and my coat of arms.
“I was not thinking, ‘What the f*** is a policeman doing in my home?’ ”
Shortly afterwards, a second police officer arrived at the front door and was followed by five firefighters and a doctor, who told Blumenthal they were taking him to hospital.
“I started to fight them, but they pinned me down on the sofa, two on each arm and one at the front,” he said.
“And then I saw, out of the corner of my eye, the man in the white coat pulling out a big syringe and I thought, ‘Just let it go.’ ”
Nineteen months on, Blumenthal is still heavily medicated and has just begun to feel comfortable travelling alone between Marseilles airport and London Heathrow.
“I’m still bad in crowds though,” he says. “I have so much fear and anxiety now – about everything. I had no fear before.”
Bipolar disorder is often broken down into types and subtypes – such as bipolar I, bipolar II, rapid cycling and cyclothymia.
Type 1 bipolar, the kind that Blumenthal has, is characterised by at least one manic episode, with many individuals also experiencing depressive episodes.
The NHS website recommends seeing a GP if you experience extreme mood swings that last for a long time or affect your daily life.
Heston: My Life with Bipolar , the chef’s forthcoming documentary about his experience of being diagnosed with the condition, will air on BBC Two on 19 June.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
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