“Didn’t feel like living anymore”: Deepika on her battle with depression

Deepika Padukone, along with Farah Khan, appeared on Friday’s episode of the TV quiz show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati 13’. During the episode, the actress talked about her battle with depression. She told the show’s host Amitabh Bachchan, “I was diagnosed with depression in 2014. I used to feel weird that people don’t talk about it. It was a stigma and people don’t even know much about it. During that time, I realised that if I am experiencing this, then there would be many people out there facing depression as well. My ambition in life was that if I could save just one life, then my purpose was solved. We have come a long way now.”

When Big B asked her how did she know that she was suffering from depression, Deepika said, “I used to get a very weird feeling, like there was an emptiness inside me.” The actress added, “I didn’t feel like going to work or meeting anybody. I did not want to go out. I didn’t feel like doing anything. Many times, I don’t know if I should say this but I didn’t feel like living anymore. I felt like I had no purpose.”

During the episode, Deepika added, “My mother asked me to visit a psychiatrist. I did that and recovered after many months. But mental health is something that you can’t forget about even after you recover. It is something you have to take care of. I have introduced some lifestyle changes now.”

Deepika Padukone has been an active advocate of mental health awareness and has been extensively working towards de-stigmatising mental illness. The actress, who came out in 2015 as having battled depression, runs the Live Love Laugh Foundation, which aims to help those struggling with their mental health.