Celebrity suicides always shake us up. It’s unsettling to see people who have been a source of happiness take their own lives.
Behind the glam lies the spectre of mental health issues, which too often remain unseen and unheard.
Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington was an entire generation’s voice, silenced by depression. His suicide has struck a conversation around opening up about depression.
“Chester saved us but he couldn’t save himself,” a Linkin Park fan who survived 15 years of childhood sexual assault, said.
At an event organised in Delhi to pay tribute to Chester, Pranaadhika Singh Devburman opened up about how his music kept her alive after everything she went through.
In my worst phases as a teenager, I used to sit alone on a ledge on the third floor balcony, where no one could see me. I’d listen to his song ‘In the End’ and wonder “Should I jump or should I stay?” And somehow I stayed. His music kept me alive, it kept me going.Pranaadhika, Linkin Park fan
His songs gave voice to teenage angst and helped so many people get through low phases in their lives.
It’s ironic that the man couldn’t get help for his own problems.
He wrote his own songs, and they had a lot of meaning. His interviews were also very intense. People should have paid attention to that and seen that he was struggling too.Mia, Linkin Park fan
“Chester saved so many of us, the least we could do is start talking about what he suffered from,” urges Pranaadhika.
There is a huge stigma attached to mental health in India. It’s still seen as something to be hushed up.
With 300 million people affected, depression is the leading cause of ill health over the world. Let’s talk depression.
Video Editor: Prashant Chauhan
(Photos from the Delhi event supplied by Lensbucks)
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