Mumbai: Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone is one of the very few big names in the film industry who opened up about fighting depression. She has been very vocal about mental health and is also the founder of the ‘Live Love Laugh’ foundation which created awareness about the same.
The ‘Pathan’ actress went public about her battle with depression in 2015. But for a star like Deepika Padukone, it was not easy to go public with her issues of mental health. Recently, during a Clubhouse session, where Deepika launched her initiative ‘Care Package’, the ‘Cocktail’ actress revealed that as they were not ready to go public with her depression. She further disclosed that they were scared about trusting any therapist.
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The ‘Fighter’ actress said, “When I went through that entire experience, I felt like we were being really hush-hush about everything. We didn’t want my name to go out. We were scared about which therapist to reach out to and who would keep this information confidential. At that point, I just went with the flow because I just needed help.”
Deepika further disclosed how she went public with her ‘depression diagnosis’ and what urged her to do the same. ‘The Intern’ actress wanted people of our country to be aware of mental health issues and to let people know that it is okay to ‘seek help’ when needed so that do not ‘suffer in silence’.
She said, “When I was reflecting on how this whole thing went by, I thought why did we handle it like this? And why were we trying to be quiet about it? Why can’t people know? Why shouldn’t people know that this is what I have been through. It also came from me wanting to try be as honest and authentic as possible.” Padukone added, “Me coming out was really just letting people know you are not alone and we are in it together.”
The actress also revealed how her mother realised she needed help and said, “It basically started in February 2014. I remember waking up one morning with this strange feeling in my stomach and it’s a feeling I don’t remember having ever felt before. For days after that, I felt empty, directionless and it just felt life had no meaning or purpose. I couldn’t feel anything physically or emotionally.” She added, “I felt this for days, weeks and months until one day my family was here and they were going back home and when they were packing their bags, I was sitting in their room and suddenly broke down. That’s when my mother realised for the first time that something was different. My cry was different. It wasn’t the usual boyfriend issue or stress at work. She kept asking me is it this or that. I couldn’t pinpoint one specific reason. It was her experience and presence of mind that she encouraged me to seek help”.
Bollywood diva Deepika Padukone was diagnosed with depression when she was at the peak of her career in the year 2014. She has been courageous enough to go public about her mental health and has inspired many to speak out and seek help.
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