Actor Lee Jae-yong has candidly shared his prolonged struggle with clinical depression, revealing how financial hardship, emotional shock, and substance dependency pushed him to the brink of crisis during his 30s.
Speaking on the YouTube channel What Are You Doing These Days?, Lee recounted that he battled the condition for nearly eight years while taking psychiatric medication. The downward spiral began during his theater days, heavily triggered by a visit to a closed psychiatric ward for acting research, an experience he described as a "living hell" that deeply traumatized him.
The emotional shock quickly compounded with the harsh realities of making a living as an impoverished stage actor with a family to support.
Although a physician recommended immediate inpatient hospitalization and a complete cessation of alcohol, Lee refused admission to continue producing performances and earning an income for his wife and children.
As unresolved trauma mixed with alcohol consumption, his mental health deteriorated to severe levels, leading to moments where he contemplated ending his life.
Lee reflected that he "lived like a madman" throughout that turbulent period, but ultimately found the resolve to survive through his dedication to theater.
Driven by the belief that he needed to endure so he could one day convey the depth of human suffering through his performances, Lee quit drinking, persevered through medical treatment, and channeled his past pain into his acting career.