Stephen Fry: we must address the fact we have such unhappy children

STEPHEN FRY has described his shock at learning of a self-harm epidemic at top public schools, warning that Britain must confront the problem of “unhappy children”.

The broadcaster told The Daily Telegraph he had been speaking to pupils at Eton College about mental health when he was told there were several boys in each house who self-harmed.

He said it was clear that, regardless of material wealth, something was missing in the lives of young people.

“We can say, but look they’ve got everything – they’ve got iphones they’ve got this, they’ve got that. Clearly, we know that can’t be enough,” he said.

“There is something missing and who is it who is not providing what’s missing? Is it a huge social thing? Is it a political thing? Is it a personal thing? How do we address it? Because it’s something that needs to be put right.”

Fry, who is president of Mind, the mental health charity, spoke to Bryony Gordon for the first episode in the second series of the podcast Mad World.

He spoke about his own struggles with bipolar disorder and how he had learnt to deal with the highs and lows. Fry said he had given up drink and drugs, started exercising, taken medication and met Elliot Spencer, who is now his husband.

“I know these are things that I’m not going to say are cures, but for me, they’ve helped,” he said.