Mental health has always remained a taboo in our country and there have hardly been cases of openly discussing the perils of it and how to extend support to someone who suffers from the same. Mental health requires as much an attention as any other physical ailment and to shun away from seeking help is the biggest obstacle in the journey of treating depression and anxiety.
Luckily, the awareness for mental well being has stepped up in the recent past and in an unprecedented move, celebrities are now opening up on their battles against depression and how they are facing the challenges. The move has received tremendous support from the general public and has also served as a motivation for people to open up on this dreadful disease.
Also read: Why mental health needs to be promoted in schools
Bollywood actor Anupam Kher recently put up a video on his Twitter handle, highlighting why depression needs to be fought together and people need to open themselves up. The 2-minute video has gone viral on social media and has encouraged people to open up and join hands against depression. Watch the video here.
Friends! This video is an attempt by me to spread awareness about the most silent and perhaps the biggest disease spreading at an alarming speed in the world today – DEPRESSION. Please make it reach out to people and help. Thanks. #LoveLifeLiveLife ??https://t.co/VU5GW98nSK
— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) June 18, 2018
Earlier last week, Shaheen Bhatt, sister of actress Alia Bhatt had put up a heartfelt message on Instagram and Vogue on what exactly goes through one’s mind as they battle depression and how they learn to cope with it.
“I’ve lived with depression on and off since I was about 13 years old. This is not a revelation or a confession. Those who know me know this about me. It’s not something I take any pains to hide, I’m not ashamed of it or particularly troubled by it. It’s just a part of who I am. I have days where I feel good and then I have days where I don’t. One minute everything’s fine and the next it’s like someone turned the light off inside my head. I go quiet and it’s difficult to get out of bed. Like it always does the world around me loses focus and I struggle to make sense of it. Sometimes these bouts last an hour – sometimes they last days.
Today, I’m on day 4. I say I live with depression rather than I struggle with it because for me (and I speak only for myself here) I don’t see why it has to be a struggle.
I once read an idea by an American essayist called Richard Mitchell which stayed with me; it’s now become how I try to approach the dips in my week or month. The idea is this:
To be sick, or to suffer, is inevitable. But to become bitter and vindictive in sickness and suffering and to surrender to irrationality, supposing yourself the innocent and virtuous victim of the evils intentions of the world, is not inevitable.
The appropriate answer to the question – Why me? is the other question – Why not me?”
Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone was one among the first people in the industry to talk about the illness and why life for celebrities isn’t that easy, as perceived. She launched The Live Love Laugh Foundation that aims to reduce the stigma around the disease and spread awareness through their various campaigns.
Have you survived depression? What is your story? Share it with our readers and join hands to help spread awareness.