Back in 2015, Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone lit the candle for many by sharing her story of battling with depression. The brave lady not only talked about how she suffered and conquered the mental condition but also went on to establish the Live Love Laugh Foundation, which is aimed at helping people struggling with mental health.
Recently, the face and voice of mental health in India represented the country on a Spotify-exclusive podcast, ‘Archetype’ hosted by Meghan Markle. During her chat with the Duchess of Sussex, Padukone talked about how conversations about mental health are considered taboo in India and how a section of society felt that she was lying about being depressed when she opened up about it years ago.
The philanthropist stated, “There are two parts to this. One is, I think, where people struggle the most, especially in India, where there’s so much stigma attached to mental illness – creating awareness. Most of us don’t even know that we’re struggling with mental illness. And second, if we are to destigmatize it, to let people know that it’s okay to seek help and to let caregivers know that it’s okay for someone to go through this.”
Speaking about how people considered it as a promotional strategy, the Gehraiyyan actress said, “There were a bunch of people who felt that either I was doing this to promote a movie or they thought that I was being paid by a pharmaceutical company. And there were articles. They thought I was being paid by a pharmaceutical company and you know that I’m now going to start advertising for some sort of medication.”
Let us tell you that Deepika Padukone has to a certain level destigmatized discussions on mental health issues in India. Before her getting vocal about her mental state, people used to keep it hush-hush. Many known faces came forward to share their sufferings after Deepika divulged her difficult situation of dealing with depression.