You won’t believe these celebs once fought depression and came out victorious

Up until recent times, celebs would just open up on their fame and all the glitz and glamour in front of the cameras. It was only after Sushant Singh Rajput’s tragic demise several celebrities have come out in the open sharing their unheard stories about what they went through in their personal lives and what shook them so bad that they faced mental depression. Here’s a list of the Tollywood celebrities who battled mental illness and came out victorious.

10 celebrities who battled depression

The actor-MP, too, has battled depression once. The first time she went to a psychiatrist, she was shy. She couldn't even come out to her parents about it. When Mimi did, her mother couldn’t understand what she was feeling. She told Mimi to deviate her thoughts and do things that made her happier. “This is where society fails us — the lack of understanding of mental health. Tears don’t come easily to me so when I was dealing with depression, I was feeling all the more suffocated. I was not eating properly, I was not getting enough sleep and was perpetually drowning myself in thoughts that should have never mattered. I thought even getting out of the bed would be too much of trouble — let alone surviving the day. I was scared that if people came to know I was visiting a counsellor, they’d write stuff like, ‘Mimi is depressed because of her bad relationships and sinking career.’ But I’m glad I reached out for help. I would request people to be kind and not sit on the judge’s chair. Don’t be ashamed of how you are feeling because it’s okay not to be okay,” that’s what Mimi had to say when she openly spoke about her fight against depression.

According to Parno, mental health is important. “I have been suicidal and have thought of it a number of times. The pain doesn't go away. We slowly move into a shell that becomes unbreakable! It's not easy to open up or just talk to someone. It becomes a part of your being. I just want to tell anyone out there suffering please seek help. I have and I have been dealing with it. It's not been easy but I have friends and family who have been there for me. My doctors have been a huge support. So, please don't let this just be a social media trend. Be kind and watch out for your loved ones,” the actress has urged everyone.

The Bangladeshi actress did face challenges while maintaining her mental well-being during the pandemic lockdowns. In a 2020 interview, Jaya had revealed, “The sound pollution levels in Bangladesh are much higher than Kolkata, so it was a welcome change. But gradually, the silence started killing me. I could feel signs of depression and the repercussions of lockdown took a tool on my mental health. That is when I realised that the hustle and bustle of city life, the workplace buzz, and the overall cacophony are integral to our survival. I tried to immerse myself in reading books and watching films. But nothing seemed to register. At most times, my mind was a blank. However, I’ve managed to come out of it by making certain lifestyle changes. Yoga has helped calm me down and so has gardening. Seeing a sapling grow from a seed sown by you is almost like the experience of giving birth. I got over my phase of depression after realising there’s nothing one can do but wait it out.”

In 2013, Sreelekha went through her divorce proceedings and moved to an apartment in Kamal Gaji. That is when she started observing a series of changes in her. “I did not feel like going out or socialising, I started spending days and weeks on my sofa, I felt fatigued and avoided the simplest of household chores like heating food. I realised it wasn’t normal and reached out to a friend who took me to her doctor. That’s how my depression got addressed. Those were the dark days. I was almost incapable of doing anything. Thankfully, things were completely in control after some time. I tried to raise my awareness regarding mental health by reading about it,” shared the senior actor during a recent interaction.

Polupar actor Bhaswar Chatterjee says only those who have battled depression can realise the situation. “I have gone through this phase last year. Major part of 2019 was extremely painful for me, personally. I used to go for shoot, work the whole day, pull pranks on the sets (it was my only source of oxygen) and when I came back home it was all but darkness and loneliness. I used to sit in a dark room, didn’t have the urge to do anything or talk to anyone. But I had my work, wouldn’t have survived without it. Once I thought of jumping off 14th floor,” the actor revealed while speaking about mental health a few years ago.

Actress Rupanjana Mitra who suffered from depression from 2007 to 2010 knows how it feels in the battle against depression. “I was suffering from depression from 2007 to 2010. Though I had people to talk to, their words failed to comfort me. I couldn’t understand what was going on inside me. My paternal and maternal grandparents passed away when I was very young. I still feel my grandmother died because despite being there I couldn’t gauge the seriousness of the situation. But I was very young and my parents were not around. That was my first experience with death. Then I found myself in a disturbing relationship, which later turned into a failed marriage. I realised I was raising a lazy and immature man who was whimsical and used me a means to earn money. Constant pressure at work and home made me disillusioned and I ended up hating myself,” the actress had once shared during an interview.