When Deepika Padukone was struggling with depression, this is how she changed her life

Prakash Padukone On Deepika Depression Disclosure: There was a time when it was not considered easy to talk openly about mental health in India. Topics like depression, anxiety and mental stress were often limited to people’s personal lives. In such an environment, in the year 2015, actress Deepika Padukone openly shared her experiences related to depression in front of the people. This was not just a personal story, but an action that started a new conversation about mental health across the country.

Family trust becomes the biggest strength

When Deepika decided to share her experiences, her family supported her without any hesitation. His father Prakash Padukone and mother Ujjala Padukone believed that if one’s experience can help other people, then there is no need to hide it. This support of the family gave Deepika the confidence to convey her views to the people without any fear or social pressure.

An incident which gave a new direction to thinking

Shortly after sharing her experience, Deepika suffered a personal loss that profoundly changed her perspective. The pain of losing a close friend to suicide was a very emotional and shocking experience for him.

This incident made him realize that merely spreading awareness is not enough. A concerted effort is needed to provide real help to the people and give them the right direction. This thinking later became the foundation of a big social campaign.

When an idea became a social initiative

‘The Live Love Laugh Foundation’ was started with this objective. The core message of this initiative was very simple but effective. Just as people do not hesitate to seek doctor’s advice in case of physical illness, in the same way seeking help from experts for mental health related problems should also be considered normal. The goal of the organization was to reduce the fear, misunderstandings and hesitation present among the people so that more and more people can get timely help.

Changing thinking about mental health

For many years, mental health problems were viewed as a weakness or personal failure. Because of this thinking, many people kept hiding their problems. Deepika and her organization continue to push the message that depression, anxiety or emotional stress can affect any person.

Big change seen in ten years

In the last decade or so, there has been a positive change in India regarding mental health. Now topics like depression and anxiety are discussed more openly than before. The young generation has become aware of mental health and is accepting advice from experts as normal. Dialogue on this topic has increased in schools, colleges, workplaces and even on digital platforms. In this, the role of celebrities like Deepika cannot be ignored, who shared their personal experiences in the interest of the society.

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The impact continues beyond the screen too

Along with being active in films, Deepika is also playing an important role in campaigns related to mental health awareness. She speaks on this topic at various national and international forums and gives the message to people to give priority to emotional health.