Illness is not differentiated between people. It can happen to you and me. It can happen to the richest and its poorest. Although, people have indeed differentiated illness. We cannot say which is the worst of all, but we can tell which one is most calm. Mental illness is something that people tend to hide. Especially if you are a public figure or celeb, the media will chase you to death. However, a few celebrities have overcome this fear of judgement and openly discussed their mental illness to make others aware. And also to normalise the fact that like every other illness, mental illness too can be treated. So, here’s a list of few celebs who suffered from mental illness and disclosed it openly.
Shahrukh Khan
After his shoulder surgery in 2010, Shahrukh Khan suffered from depression. It was a challenging period for him. However, he battled it and successfully got out of it. He openly accepted it, saying, “Due to the shoulder injury and the suffering, I had got into a depression mode, but now I am out of it. I feel happy and boosted with energy.”
Deepika Padukone
Deepika was one of the first few celebs who openly voiced awareness of mental illness on social media. She faced mental illness many times. However, she felt it’s better to acknowledge the fact and look for a cure than hide it. She said, “I thought it was stress, so I tried to distract myself by focusing on work and surrounding myself with people, which helped for a while. But the nagging feeling didn’t go away. My breath was shallow, I suffered from lack of concentration, and I broke down often.”
Amitabh Bachchan
Even Big B couldn’t escape depression. After 1996 when many of his movies flopped one after another and almost lost everything he owned, he went into depression. But we all know that he is made of a strong fibre which doesn’t break easily. Indeed he came out as a warrior.
Anushka Sharma
Anushka Sharma went ahead of everyone while creating awareness about mental illness. She suffers from anxiety, and here’s how she opened up on Twitter. I have anxiety. And I’m treating my anxiety. I’m on medication for my anxiety. Why am I saying this? Because it’s a completely normal thing. It’s a biological problem. In my family, there have been cases of depression. More and more people should talk openly about it. There is nothing shameful about it or something to hide. If you had constant stomach pain, wouldn’t you go to the doctor? It’s that simple. I want to make this my mission, take any shame out of this, and educate people about this.
Sanjay Dutt
The life story of this actor is well known after his film. From his mother and wife’s death to his imprisonment, everything that happened to him had burdened him under depression. However, the actor came out of it.
Karan Johar
With all the memes on his films and his sexual preference is enough to make him a constant target of taunts and trolls. Social media can be ruthless and break anyone. Karan Johar is no exception. He openly said so and also took sessions for it. He said, “Those sessions (medication) made a big difference to me. During those sessions, we touched on many things about my life. I felt that I did not deal entirely with my father’s loss, though it’s been 11or 12 years, I felt the pain and hurt of certain relationships that had dwindled from my life, and I was carrying all that baggage. And the fear of the future, the fear that I was not able to find a life partner. At one point, the lack of love in my life was bothering me. Today I feel a lot more free of it. I feel there are loads of other things to look forward to.”
So these are few celebs who suffered from mental Illness and disclosed it openly.