Published 17:39 IST, October 17th 2019
Mental Health Awareness: Celebs who talked about their mental illness
World Mental Health Day is celebrated to spread awareness and destigmatize mental illness. Here are a few celebs who have publicly spoken about mental health.
World Mental Health Day exists to fight against the stigma that lingers around the issue of mental health problems. People around the world help spread knowledge about various mental issues that exist so that the general public is aware of the seriousness of mental illnesses. People in India also took part in the spreading of awareness about mental health and several Indian celebrities chimed in on the discussion with their opinion.
Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone is one of the most vocal celebrities when it comes to discussing mental illness. She not only discusses her issues on social media but she has also started a foundation called the Live Love Laugh, which strives to help people who are suffering from mental illness without having to worry about the stigma associated with the topic. On World Mental Health Day, Deepika heavily discussed mental illness on all social media platforms. She talked about how she chalked up her depression and anxiety to just being stress. Doing so only alleviated her problem for a while but eventually, she broke and would often have spells of depression or anxiety. Which is why she always advocates people suffering from such issues to seek help as they cannot be ignored.
Anushka Sharma
Anushka Sharma has been very vocal about her anxiety and has stated that the illness runs in the family. She also openly told the world that she takes medication for anxiety and is not ashamed of the fact. According to her mental illnesses are just as normal as any other physical ailment and need to be treated as such. Which is why she is against the stigmatization of mental illness that is often seen around the world.
Karan Johar
The popular director and talk show host, Karan Johar has always been public about his struggle with mental illness, especially depression and anxiety. He even said that he felt like he was having a cardiac arrest during one of his anxiety episodes. He finally decided to go to a doctor at that point. When he got to the doctor, he was informed that he was having an anxiety attack. Since then Karan Johar has never shied away from discussing the topic of mental illness.
Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan is another Bollywood celebrity who has suffered from mental illnesses. He said that he has had his ups and downs and has suffered from depression. He did not believe that there was anything odd or abnormal about discussing mental illness. He believes that people should be causal while talking about mental issues and should not feel ashamed for doing so.
Here were just four Bollywood celebs who have talked about mental health. However, many other celebrities have also confessed to their mental illnesses over the years. Popular actors such as Shah Rukh Khan and Ranveer Singh have discussed their problems on public platforms. Those who suffer from mental illness should take inspiration from the words of these celebrities and pursue counselling without any shame or fear of ostracization.
Updated 20:53 IST, October 17th 2019