On World Mental Health Day, Emotional Deepika Padukone Says She’s #NotAshamed

Deepika Padukone was diagnosed with clinical depression in 2014, about which she spoke in details in several interviews in 2015

Deepika Padukone in a video shared by the Live Love Laugh Foundation. (Image courtesy: YouTube)

New Delhi: On World Mental Health Day, actress Deepika Padukone urged her fans to share their stories of battling mental illnesses. In a video she posted on Instagram, Deepika recounted that she was diagnosed with clinical depression in 2014 and added that 90 per cent people diagnosed with depression in India do not seek help. She also talked about battling depression in a video posted on YouTube by the Live Love Laugh Foundation (LLLF), in which she said, ‘Waking up was tough because I didn’t want to face the day.’ She broke down and added: ‘I was extremely conscious of being surrounded by people because if I need to break down where I could do that.’ She also posted a picture of herself, describing her as a ‘depression survivor.’ It’s a part of the LLLF’s awareness campaign inviting survivors of mental illness to share their stories.

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On Instagram, Deepika also wrote: ‘There are others who refuse to seek help due to the stigma attached to mental illnesses. In 2015, I shared my story. Today I urge you to share yours too using the hashtag #NotAshamed.’

In 2015, Deepika Padukone shared the details of what she went through when she was battling depression. Speaking to NDTV, Deepika said she felt ’empty and directionless’ when she was diagnosed with clinical depression in 2014. Last year, Deepika Padukone called battling depression ‘a bad experience’ and added that she feared a relapse, reported news agency PTI. ‘I don’t think I can say that I’m completely over it (depression). There is always a fear at the back of my mind that I might have a relapse because it has been such a bad experience for me,’ PTI quoted Deepika Padukone as saying. Deepika Padukone lunched the Live Love Laugh Foundation in 2015 to help those battling mental illnesses.