Mental illness should not be kept behind the doors anymore.

Khevna.P.Shah, INN/Bangalore

@Shahkhevna1, @Infodeaofficial

Mental illness is still a taboo subject in our country. People suffering from mental illness suffer in
silence just because of the fear of not being accepted in society. There is a need to educate
people about mental illness and also spread awareness.
This works like a chain reaction, that is it needs one person to speak up about it, encouraging
the others to boldly open up. And in India, where the celebrities are most looked up to, them
opening up the mental illness might have some impact on the people. There are few Bollywood
celebrities who have spoken openly about their mental illness.

1. Yo-Yo Honey Singh
The famous rap singer who gave us major hits like Blue eyes and Brown Rang, Honey Singh
suffered from bipolar disorder. He further told that while battling the dark phase he was
supported by Deepika Padukone and Shah Ruk Khan.
“It was scary. One year had passed and I wasn't responding to medicines until the fourth doctor
from Delhi treated me. At one point, I thought I would live in this darkness forever. I had cut
myself off from everyone. I didn't come out of my room, forget stepping out of the house. I had a
beard and I didn't get a haircut for months. For someone who has performed in front of a crowd
of 20,000, I was scared of facing 4-5 people. That's what bipolar disorder does to you.” said
Honey Singh in one of the interviews.

2. Randeep Hooda
This underrated actor who gave a spectacular performance in Highway and Sarbjeet revealed
being depressed during the shoot of Highway. Hooda revealed that “There was a big hangover
after 'Sarbjit' because of the involvement that was required in the film. It all lingers on. It has
happened before as well. And after ‘Highway’, I was depressed for a long time. I had to tell
myself that I am not a petty taxi driver and that is not my life.”

3. Varun Dhawan
Sometimes a role that is given to the actor in a movie also affects their mental health, because
they have to go through extreme lengths to bring the out the character alive. And that is one of
the reasons that Varun Dhawan suffered from Depression during the shooting of Badlapur.
Dhawan spoke openly about it to the media, “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”.

4. Deepika Padukone
Bollywood diva, Deepika Padukone opened about herself suffering from depression in a TV
interview. She also established a center for mental health to help people overcoming from the
phase that she been through.
“I thought it was stress, so I tried to distract myself by focusing on work, and surrounding myself
with people, which helped for a while. But the nagging feeling didn’t go away. My breath was

shallow, I suffered from lack of concentration and I broke down often.”Often depression is
misinterpreted as stress or laziness, which will only delay the need for help and worsen the
condition.

5. Ileana D’Cruz
In an interview with Miss Malini, Ileana D’Cruz talked about her struggle with depression,
anxiety, and Body Dysmorphic Disorder. She also said that how constant support and help from
her family and friends helped her through the tough times.

It is not easy opening up about something that you feel no one can understand, and definitely, it
takes a large amount of courage to do that. But remember every time you speak up, you are
setting an example for those behind you, who are afraid to.