Depression can affect the best of us when we least expect it to. Research suggests that one in every ten people are depressed. No matter how rich, successful or happy you are, you can become a victim of depression. And celebrities are no exception. In a world where mental illnesses are talked about in hushed tones, many Bollywood celebrities have come forward and shared their ordeals with the disorder at public platforms. On record, there are several celebrities who came forward and accepted the depression phrase and also spoke publicly about it. So today let's have a look at Indian celebs who lived and battled with mental health problems.
In 2017, during an interview session, Ilena disclosed that she battled Body Dysmorphic Disorder for a long time before finally getting help. She said, 'I have always had issues accepting my body the way it is. At one point, I even had suicidal thoughts and wanted to end things'. BDD is a form of mental illness where one obsessively focuses on perceived flaws in appearance.
The bubbly singer Neha Kakkar who always seems happy and smiling had also gone through a depression phase after she broke up with actor Himanshu Kohli. Although Neha also added that her depression had nothing to do with her failed relationship and accepted that facing people's negative comments gives her a more hard time. She requested people to let her live a happy life.
Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh admitted that he was suffering from a condition called bipolar disorder. While sharing the experience, Honey Singh said, 'I have become stronger now. I never faced such problems in life but when it happened I had my family to support me and help me fight and get out of it.'
In September 2019, Shraddha Kapoor came out about facing anxiety issues for six long years and mentioned her mental health condition on social media, 'You need to embrace anxiety and approach it with lots of love.' She said after the release of Aashiqui 2 (2013), she experienced pain, which did not have any physiological diagnosis.
While shooting for Badlapur, Varun actually felt depressed during the making of the movie. Varun Dhawan himself was a little blindsided by this sudden turn of events. Speaking about the cause behind the depression, Varun said, 'I was depressed. I was not clinically declared depressed but I was heading there. I was very sad to a certain degree. I don't want to use the term 'depression' loosely because it's a serious illness. It definitely affected my mental health. I was prescribed and did see a Doctor for it as well.'
At an event in Mumbai in 2016, Hrithik Roshan opened up about his depression experience and said, 'I have experienced depression, I have experienced confusion, as we all do. It's a normal thing. We all go through ups and downs. When you go through a down, then the most important thing is clarity of thought. Sometimes, your brain takes over, feeds you with unwanted thoughts.' The actor also emphasized mental health education.
In 2017, Anushka Sharma responded to the quote related to depression and admitted that she suffered from anxiety. She said, 'I have anxiety. And I'm treating my anxiety. I'm on medication for my anxiety. Why am I saying this? Because it's a completely normal thing. It's a biological problem. In my family, there have been cases of depression. More and more people should talk openly about it. There is nothing shameful about it or something to hide. If you had constant stomach pain, wouldn't you go to the doctor? It's that simple. I want to make this my mission, to take any shame out of this, to educate people about this,'
In 2017, at an event in New Delhi, Deepika Padukone recalled her experience with depression and said, 'Two years back, my family had come to see me. They were about to leave and I was all alone in my bedroom, curled up. My mother walked in and asked if everything was okay, I said yes. She asked again if it was work or something else that was bothering me, I said no. She asked me so many times that I felt myself choking and I broke into tears. I want to tell my mother that if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here. Thank you for being with me all through the way. Thank you to my sister, my father and friends who supported me immensely.' The actress also runs a Live Love Laugh foundation, aims to reduce the stigma, spread awareness and change the way we look at Mental Health.