Karan Johar recently opened up about his two year long battle with depression in a revealing interview. “I went through a series of anti-anxiety medication for it. A year and a half post that, when I stopped it, I realised that I am in a much better place. Today I actually feel the emotion of excitement and happiness. When you go through it, you stop feeling that zing of emotion. Today I am getting all of them back,” he said. Karan isn't the first celebrity to speak out about his struggle. Here's a look at a few other Bollywood celebrities who bravely spoke up
Deepika Padukone
The actress recently disclosed that in 2004, things began to go downhill for her. “ I suffered from lack of concentration and I broke down often. Over a period of time, it got worse,” she admitted, adding that every morning, it was a struggle to wake up, and shoot for Happy New Year’s climax. After confiding in her mother, Deepika got help and was diagnosed with anxiety and depression. “There were days when I would feel okay, but at times, within a day, there was a roller-coaster of feelings. Finally, I accepted my condition,” she said, following which she took the medication required to help her get better and also took a two month break from work.
Manisha Koirala
Manisha Koirala who was previously married to Nepali businessman Samrat Dahlal also went through a lot of before finding her footing again. Months after her marriage, the actress went into depression and took to social media to express her feelings where she stated that her husband had become her enemy. The actress also stated that her friends had drifted away. After getting through it all and also fighting cancer, the actress states that she is now a changed person. “I have touched death with my illness. That phase has changed me. Today, every sunset, every handshake is valuable for me. But I do not want that to define me. I don’t want my illness to become social conversation,” she said.
Anushka Sharma
Successful actress Anushka Sharma also took to social media to talk about how she coped with depression. '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 a constant stomach pain, wouldn’t you go to the doctor? It’s that simple. I want to make this my mission, to take any shame out of this, to educate people about this,” she wrote in early 2015.
Ileana D'Cruz
After Deepika came out in the open about her struggle, actress Ileana D'Cruz also chose to open up about her struggle Body Dysmorphic Disorder, anxiety and depression and how constant help and support from family and friends help her during tough times. “I’m dealing with a lot of issues as far as my body is concerned. I’ll be turning 30 this year, and I know I’ve been dealing with it for over 10-12 years, maybe even 15, but I never really knew what it was. I finally went to somebody a few months ago and she sort of helped me out,” said the actress a few months ago. The actress also revealed that it was so bad that there were times when she didn’t want to get out of the house. “ I used to get really emotional, I used to sit in a corner and just cry for hours,” she said.
Varun Dhawan
Not many know that actor Varun Dhawan also battled depression while shooting the movie, Badlapur. “I was not clinically declared depressed but I was heading there. I was very sad to a certain degree. I don't want to use the term 'depression' loosely because it's a serious illness. It definitely effected my mental health. I was prescribed and did see a doctor for it as well,” he said.
