We Have Become Less Sensitive: Deepika Padukone on Mental Illness

On Monday, Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone spoke about the stigma attached to mental ailments as the main reason why society is struggling to address the problem.

The 30-year-old actress, who herself battled depression, spoke in New Delhi at the launch of a nationwide campaign to bring awareness about psychological disorders, on World Mental Health Day.

Sharing her personal struggle with depression, Deepika broke down during the function, and said it is important that there is a supporting ecosystem of family and friends that allow the suffering person to cope with the disorder with hope and dignity.

The campaign has been jointly launched by Indian Psychiatric Society, Indian Medical Association and Deepika's Bengaluru-based non-profit foundation, the Live Love Laugh Foundation (TLLLF), under which they would develop outreach programmes to highlight the urgent mental health challenges that India faces.

Deepika, who recently had also become the brand ambassador of the Indian Psychiatric Society, said the campaign was dedicated to all those people who have survived mental illness.

Also present at the event was Prasoon Joshi who commented on the campaign and said:

We decided to be part of the campaign so we have volunteered and given our support. Deepika could have kept it all to herself, but she shared her struggle and turned it into a movement.

India is home to the largest number of mental health patients in the world with at least 50 million Indians estimated to be undergoing depression at any one point in time, according to the Society's President Dr G Prasad Rao.

A special video and poster campaign, "#DobaraPoocho" (ask again) was also unveiled on the occasion.

(With inputs from PTI.)