Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone talked about her struggle with depression in 2015 and started a conversation about mental illness. It is unheard of for a successful movie star to admit that she has a mental illness. Six years later, Deepika shared this decision. It takes a long time to talk publicly about your mental health.
At a Clubhouse meeting, the actress said that she and the people around her knew that they were not allowed to disclose their health problems and were “fear” of which therapist to trust.
“At that point, when I went through the entire experience, I felt like we were being extremely 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’s going to keep this information confidential. At that point, I went with the flow because I wanted help,” Deepika said.
The actor added that it was only months later that she felt her handling of the issue wasn’t convincing.
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Deepika Padukone 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 to be as honest and authentic as possible.”
Also prompted Chapak to reveal that the reason for her struggle with depression was the stigma of mental health that caused people to “endure silently.”
“It was also about letting people know that mental illness exists and it’s okay to seek help because most of us suffer in silence because it’s not something you seek externally so there is a guilt attached to it because you feel you are the only one going through it. You also feel like you are inconveniencing your caregivers and the people around you. Me coming out was really just letting people know you are not alone and we are in it together,” she said.
Deepika Padukone was diagnosed with depression in 2014. The actor said that it is difficult for her to express the feeling of “emptiness and disorientation” she has experienced over the past few months, but her mother understood that Deepika needs professional help.
She 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. I just felt this void and it’s difficult to articulate to someone who hasn’t experienced it.”
The actor continued, “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 realized 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 if it was 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”
Deepika Padukone also said that although she has come a long way since her diagnosis, there is no day without reminding her of her mental health. The actor stated that he must consciously improve his mental health to avoid slipping. Back to depression.
“Life post mental illness is a ‘before and after. I had a particular life before depression and I have a very different life after that. I keep saying that there’s not a day that goes by without me thinking about my mental health. To ensure I don’t go back into that space, it’s very important for me to focus on the quality of my sleep, nutrition, hydration, exercise, how do I process stress, and my thoughts and mindfulness. These are the things I have to do on a daily basis not because they are fancy words or it’s cool to do this but I won’t be able to survive if I don’t do all these things,” the actor concluded.
