Speak up and let people help you heal: Celebs on mental health and depression

MUMBAI: Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide left us in shock. The actor was said to be suffering from depression. This has led to celebs and netizens talk about mental health and depression once again, because somewhere we all failed, as a society. Talking can give good results as far as depression is concerned, self-healing or seeking professional help are some other ways. Here are some celebs sharing their opinion on mental health and depression, and how one can help people heal: 

Vikas Sethi: Life itself is a gift. A precious gift. Owning up to depression, anxiety or any mental illness has a stigma attached to it. But we need to bring about the change. We need to reach out and seek help. We have all been there in the dark night of our soul - just us as humans - not as actors. I have experienced it myself. And it's really difficult, I understand. But the truth is we need to lift ourselves up and find a mental balance. It's perfectly ok to speak up and share.

(Also read: B-town stars who replaced Sushant Singh Rajput in THESE films )

Jhanvi Sethi: As a professional who works with mental well-being my experience on the issue of depression is that we are all just scared. But it's ok to be sad, scared, vulnerable, and feel all your emotions. It's important to realise that you can get help to process your emotions. I also feel it starts with awareness and then actually getting help. Help those who are around you. Realise how they feel and help them heal.

Vijayendra Kumeria: It's sad that in our country depression is not taken seriously and reaching for help is a taboo. It is a serious issue which needs to be addressed. It can happen to anyone but if we talk about actors, it is very difficult for people to even get a clue what an actor or any celebrity is going through in his or her life. Actors are very secretive about their inner feeling as people are ready to make a breaking news about anything and everything, be it personal or professional. In our industry we know thousands of people but finding real friends here is very difficult. Everyone talks about supporting their colleagues, but in reality everybody is busy in their own life making their own careers, having no time for others... The sad truth is some people don’t want to work with a person if they get a slightest clue that he/she is dealing with depression, so that their project doesn’t suffer or sustain in this very competitive industry. It is inevitably important that as an individual, one takes care of his own mental health and opens up to his near and dear ones and talks about his or her feelings. We must understand that mental health is very important and there is nothing wrong if we go to a counsellor. Spreading this awareness is very important and above all we all need to be sensitive and compassionate with people around us.

Amit Sarin: We are what we think and not who we think we are. Our thoughts emanate a certain feeling which leads to emotions. Thoughts are very powerful and if we allow it to be negative then it leads to adverse behavioural, psycological and health outcomes. Think positive, see positive and be positive, it seems like a small statement but I can speak for myself that it is very powerful. Being an actor and going through countless rejections - this was the only mantra that kept me going. In that sense, I have seen success and failures too, but I was able to see both as an outcome to efforts and didn't define me as a person. Yes, in India, talking about or dealing with mental wellness is still looked down upon and ignored big time. Just like having a healthy body, mental health/ wellness should be normal and treate or dealt with accordingly.

Arun Mandola: We learnt in school that when health is gone everything is gone but still these days very few people focus on mental health. Depression is very common these days. The biggest reason we feel ashamed of talking about our problems because if not shared to the right person, you will be in a big trouble. Yes it's true that glamour field is glittery and dark and challenging from inside but the truth is every human feels insecure, low and sometimes depressed. Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide has shocked everyone including me. I don’t have words for this disaster. God had given him a big opportunity and he did a good job. He was everyone’s favourite and people loved him very much but the biggest loss is for his family. I can understand what they are going through.

Aaira Dwivedi: Being an actor, you will see both high and low. It's amazing when you get great reviews but if things don't turn out well, then you have to get the motivation yourself to keep getting out of bed everyday. Give yourself another day, another chance and you will find your courage eventually. I have always found that when I am mentally in a good place it helps me to stand tall and feel confident. I always make sure that external things don't affect me. It is necessary for people to open up about mental health and depression, and have a normal conversation. Also no one will connect with you overnight, so we have to constantly stay in touch with people we really care and love, to nourish the sense of belongingness.

Sudipto Balav: There shouldn't be any space for a social stigma related to depression or any kind of mental health condition. It is a medical condition and it should be strictly treated like any other illness. The entertainment industry is written about, so people get to know more about the politics and dark side of it, but each and every fields has it. Mental health is a extremely delicate issue and there are several platforms from where we can seek help. It’s high time you went to a doctor if you have such problem and as a society we should change.

Aniruddh Dave: In our industry there are different types of people with different perspective and if someone is going though depression or down fall, I haven’t seen any one standing for them, this is the bitter truth of the industry. The one who is going through depression only he will understand how dark it is. Our field is full of darkness, even I have faced financial crunches but my family and friends supported me and I still haven’t forgotten that. I always believe, this too shall pass. When people try to share their inside pain with you, we think this person is so negative and we try to cut contact with them. If you think someone is going through this phase then talk to them until you get to know why he is depressed. 

Kettan Singh: Everyone goes through depression, it may be for personal or professional reason, but society makes it a social stigma by saying that he is mad ir psycho. Glamour industry or any other industry, they all have a dark side. People who come to this industry by seeing the glamourous side of it, they do wrong instead of that they should concentrate on their passion. If you come in this industry just for the glamour and glitter you will see the dark side very soon, but if you are here for your passion then you won’t have to deal with the dark side ever, your work will actually speak for you. Life is generally unpredictable whether you are an actor or anything. Right now everyone’s mental health is disturbed not only of actors but everyone’s. Think about migrants who are not getting food, their frustration level increased so much that they walked to their cities. Farmers who commit suicide also go through mental health issues, it shouldn’t be taken for granted in any case.

Avinash Mujherjee: Yes everybody feels low from time to time in personal and professional life because that’s the part of life. Pain, happiness, sorrow, grieve, joy, gratitude, regret, anger, attitude, revenge these are very normal human emotion but I believe pain comes from the exception of future and if it doesn’t happen the way you wanted it to be, your mind goes off. Focus on positivity and remove negativity from your future also I would suggest to take care of five closest people around you. Make sure you talk to them everyday just ask them how are you and wait till they say how they actually are and that will really mean a lot for that person. Lastly your parents love you a lot and you owe your life to your parents.

Pranitaa Pandit: I don’t think that now depression is a social stigma anymore, atleast in big cities. It is very common because of the kind of lifestyle we live. The kind of pressure we are living in that causes anxiety and everyone must have gone through some kind of anxiety in their life, which is very normal I feel. People feel depressed because of money or relationships but depression is a disease like any other disease and it should treated properly interms of medication. Spread awareness about it and not consider it as a stigma. We have to be kind to ourselves. I feel every industry has a dark side and it’s just that we always face the media. We all are humans and we have emotions too. Everyone talks about it after it’s done because somewhere down the line we all are fighting with our own problems. Instead of taking it negatively, we should just take it as a lessons. None of us are perfect, so we should stop being so judgemental and should accept things the way they are. 

Bhoomika Mirchandani: It is not only with the glamour industry, we come in the limelight because we are celebrities and we are always in front of the media. Everyone is saying Bollywood didn’t accept Sushant because of nepotism, but don’t you think it happens at normal workplaces too, but that doesn't come to limelight. Depression can be at any age, any industry, no matter how successful you are or how many facilities you have. There are so many cases where there is no reason for depression. Overthinking is depression. To deal with mental health you have to love yourself. You should try to heal yourself don’t be dependent on others.

(Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput paid off entire year's rent for his Pavna bungalow Orion before he left this world )