Yahoo News Suits star shares depression and drinking led to show exit
Note: This article discusses subject matter such as depression and alcoholism.
Suits star Patrick J Adams has shared that his exit from the show was caused by depression and alcoholism, saying he was living an “unexamined life”.
The star played Mike Ross on the legal drama before announcing his departure ahead of the eighth season in 2018, though he did reprise his role for the last two episodes of the ninth and final season.
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Five years on from the conclusion of the show, Adams – who was nominated for a SAG Award for his performance as Mike in 2012 – appeared on the Dinner’s On Me podcast with Jesse Tyler Ferguson to discuss his career, explaining that his exit from the show came during a difficult period of his life.
“I wasn’t taking good care of my mental health and I was drinking too much [at] the end of Season 7,” said Adams. “I was in a zone of living a pretty unexamined life. Pretty miserable [and] I would say, pretty depressed.
“I didn’t have the tools to deal with that depression beyond just spending money and drinking too much, and not really knowing how to talk about it. I was still trying to live my life as a 25-year-old and doing my patterns of how I would numb myself [to] deal with my insecurity and my fears.”
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“They just weren’t working, and they were taking a toll on my relationship but also just making me a very not present father,” he continued. “That for me was a breaking point when I was like, ‘I think I should probably stop drinking, because I don’t want to be that dad.’”
Adams, who is due to appear in Lockerbie, added that his decision to stop drinking was the “best thing” he had ever done, before explaining that he “never regretted” the decision to leave Suits as it was the “right thing” for his marriage.
Suits streams on BBC iPlayer.
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, organisations who can offer support include the NHS, Samaritans on 116 123 or Mind on 0300 123 3393. Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov.
Alcohol Change UK offers information, advice and support with their questions about drinking and the problems that can sometimes be caused by alcohol. For more information, visit Alcohol Change UK's website.
Drinkline also offers free, confidential advice to anyone who is concerned about their own or someone else's drinking on 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am–8pm, weekends 11am–4pm).
Readers can also contact Drinkaware.
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