Deepika Padukone recently penned a column for The New York Times, where she opened up about how her life changed once she decided to open up about her battle with depression.
In the column, Deepika said that her path to recovery was paved with self reflection.
“As I recovered, I started to reflect on my experience. Why did I not know anything about this illness? Why had no one — with the exception of my mother — recognized the signs? And why had I been so reluctant to voice my own feelings? Those questions led me to the decision to go public with my condition,” she wrote.
Citing a 2016 survey commissioned by the Indian Government, she said that “85% of people in the country did not receive proper treatment for their mental health problems. With a population as big as ours, this statistic was worrisome and her Foundation aimed at bridging this gap.”
As more and more people reached out to her, she realised she was not finished. She felt like she “needed to do much more”, leading her to set up The Live Love Laugh Foundation.
“Our main goal is to remind people that they have a chance for a better life. That is why we named the foundation “Live Love Laugh” — it’s about what a person feels as much as it is about the medical aspect of treating their illness.”Deepika Padukone, Actor
Deepika, who will next be seen in Meghna Gulzar’s Chhapaak - a film based on the life of an acid attack survivor Laxmi, revealed that she still worries about relapsing each day.
“Not a day goes by when I don’t worry about relapsing. Still, today I know that my struggles have given me a deeper connection to my mind and body. If I ever find myself dealing with a bout of depression again, I know I’ll be strong enough to face it,” she said.
In 2014, Deepika was diagnosed with clinical depression after she had just delivered four consecutive hits. She admitted to feeling lonely, lost and exhausted even while surrounded by people. Her mother was among the first people to notice her symptoms and asked her to seek professional help.
Noticing the taboo around mental health issues in India, Deepika and her team decided to go public on her struggle and received tremendous support and empathy. She said her aim was to encourage more people to speak up about their battle with depression and raise public awareness.
With inputs from New York Times.
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