Once Struggling With Depression, Deepika Padukone Reveals How The South Asian Community Deals With Mental Health Issues.
No stranger to controversies, Bollywood actress and star of Chennai Express and Happy New Year Deepika Padukone, who had earlier made news and accused media of blatantly objectifying her after the Times of India published a video clip of her promoting her cleavage, has once again become a polemic figure in the public eye. She wrote a confessional tell-all letter in the Hindustan Times about her battle with anxiety and depression in the early stages of her career as an up-and-coming Bollywood actress.
Her recent confession about her mental health speaks volumes about the ways in which the South Asian community — both within the subcontinent itself and in the diaspora — deals with the pangs of mental health diseases such as clinical depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. While Padukone was able to acknowledge publicly in a tweet that “anxiety, panic attacks, and depression are not signs of weaknesses. They are signs of trying to remain strong way too long,” it's hard to overlook the stigma that exists within the South Asian community, especially when it comes to dealing with mental health. While her confession draws attention to the stigma surrounding mental health diseases and how they're perhaps a common battle that many of us go through, you cannot forget the ways these diseases go unacknowledged or unrecognized.
For Padukone, her mother, Ujjala Padukone, proved to be an amazing support system. Ujjala got her started on treatment with two psychologists as soon as she realized her daughter was struggling to shoot for the film Happy New Year and live her everyday life, according to Padukone. Unfortunately, not everyone is as lucky — especially those without access to medical treatment and counselling, which can help revive a person’s life and help them cope with their mental diseases.
Aamir Khan’s third season of Satyamev Jayate drew great attention to this issue. It presented troubling and unforgettable cases of sufferers of mental illness who were isolated, abused and treated like outsiders within society. This underlined the fact that class, caste, social and economic status, and gender in part determine if someone has access to mental health clinical care. The show highlighted how many sufferers of schizophrenia were chained in their homes and hidden from the eyes of society in order to avoid family shame. Plus, a young woman spoke about how she had to take care of her sister without any help from doctors and society. Treatment doesn't just end with medication but must be part of people's day-to-day routine — and many of us forget about caretakers who live with patients daily.
As Padukone underlines in her letter, “Being sad and being depressed are two different things. Also, people going through depression don’t look so, while someone sad will look sad. The most common reaction is, ‘How can you be depressed? You have everything going for you. You are the supposed number one heroine and have a plush home, car, movies … What else do you want?’ It’s not about what you have or don’t have. People talk about physical fitness, but mental health is equally important. I see people suffering, and their families feel a sense of shame about it, which doesn’t help. One needs support and understanding.”
In agreement with the star, I believe that this health issue needs to be understood and acknowledged so that people who are suffering from these diseases are able to overcome them — or at the very least have a support system to help them cope without becoming victims of stigma and isolation in society's eyes.
Feature Image Source: All new HD wallpapers
Nidhi Shrivastava
Author
Nidhi Shrivastava (@shnidhi) is a Ph.D. candidate in the English department at Western University and works as an adjunct professor in at Sacred Heart University. She holds double masters in South Asian Studies and Women's Studies. Her research focuses on Hindi film cinema, censorship, the figure o...
COMMENTS
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
-
Sanaa: This African/Indian Restaurant Is Disney's Best Kept Secret In Orlando
-
Travel: How I Got The Most Of My Weekend In Marbella, Spain
-
Pride Month 2022: This Glossary Will Teach You All The LGBTQIA+ Terms You Need To Know In 2022
-
Platinum Jubilee: How Relevant Is The Queen To South Asians?
-
Pride Month 2022: A List Of 20 Global Resources To Help You Support Your Journey With Your LGBTQIA+ Loved Ones
-
How To Let Go Of The Past And Create The Life You Want
-
Dhamaka In New York City Lets You Explore Cuisine "From The Forgotten Side Of India"
-
Madras Chettinaad Brings The Flavours Of Tamil Nadu To Atlanta, Georgia
-
3 Must Know Signs That A Problem Exists & How To Conquer Them
-
The 4 Hottest May 2022 Tech Gadgets You Need Now
-
South Asian Heritage Month 2022: From LGBTQIA+ Rights To Senior Dating, How Our Culture Is Becoming More Inclusive
-
How To Avoid Turning Your Words Into Weapons When It Comes To Mental Health
-
Looking For A Mindful Coach? Here's How To Spot The Fakers
-
Travel: How To Get The Most From Your Weekend In Budapest
-
Here's How To Break Your Long Term Bad Habits
-
Earth Day 2022: Why Our Lives Depend On The Save Soil Movement By Sadhguru
-
How To Recover From Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
-
Clean Your Clutter And Add Some Colour For Fresh Spring Vibes
-
Here's How EDMR Therapy Programs Your Brain So You Don't Feel So Helpless
-
Manjal At Canary Wharf Creates Scrumptious Sri Lankan Cuisine
-
How Being Kind Can Significantly Boost Your Immune System
-
How To Spring Clean The Energy In Your Home
-
Here's How To Support Someone Struggling With Depression Or Anxiety
-
This Is The Best Way To Break Up
-
These Are The Reasons Why You Need To Stop Using "Should"
-
We Tell You Why Dr. Monica Vermani’s Uplifting Book “A Deeper Wellness” Is What Your Soul Needs
-
South Asian Dining Elevated Thanks To Madhu's At The Grove In Hertfordshire
-
Broken Heart Syndrome: Tips On How To Detect This Fatal Heart Disease That's Affecting Women
-
How To Tell If You're A Victim Of Gaslighting
-
Give Your Home Splashes Of Periwinkle: Pantone Colour Of The Year
-
Hot March 2022 Tech Gadgets That You Need Now
-
IWD 2022: Refocus Your Finances To Empower Your Most Daring Dreams As A Woman
-
IWD 2022: How Women Can Let Go Of Life's Toughest Burdens & Live Free
-
International Women's Day 2022: ANOKHI LIFE's 15 Most Inspiring South Asian Women
-
3 Ways To Practice Positivity
-
Culinary Delights From Tamil Nadu Is Celebrated At London's Chettinad Restaurant
-
EQ Insights: These Key Steps Will Raise Your Emotional Intelligence
-
Tips On How To Communicate With Your Partner During Challenging Times
-
Veeraswamy Showcases Their Regal Heritage Through Cuisine In London
-
We Tell You Why "Brown Girl Like Me" By Jaspreet Kaur Is Book We've Been Waiting For
-
A Checklist To Show You If You Need A Therapist
-
How To Let Go Of What No Longer Serves You
-
East African Fusion Fare Tempts The Palate At London's Purple Flame
-
The Hottest February 2022 Tech Gadgets That You Need Now
-
Need To Let Off Steam? Here's Why Sweat Lodges and Saunas are Hot Ways to Connect with Your Health in 2022
-
You Need To Stop Postponing Your Happiness
-
Bell Let's Talk Day: How To Be Your Own Best Friend
-
This Is How We Can Learn From The Obstacles We Face
-
4 Hot January 2022 Tech Gadgets That You Need Now!
-
This Why We Need To Stop Taking Things So Personally
-
Our 2021 Roundup: Is It Time To Cancel The Catholic Church For Their Role In Canada's Residential Schools?
-
Our 2021 Roundup: Here's How To Make Our Faith Bigger Than Our Fear
-
Our 2021 Roundup: "Modernist Cuisine": Farzi Café Opens Up Their First Canadian Location In Mississauga's Square One Food District
-
Our 2021 Roundup: Fool-Proof Recipes For 3 Easy-To-Bake Desi Treats
-
Our 2021 Roundup: Swipe Right If Jabbed? Tips On How To Navigate The New Dating World
-
Our 2021 Roundup: How To Find The Calm In Chaos At Home & At Work
