Deepika Padukone shared this photo. (Image courtesy: Instagram)

New Delhi:

Actress Deepika Padukone, who has battled depression and who often shares her views on mental health, gave a shout out to comedian Danish Sait in a tweet on Monday after he revealed that he has been battling depression and anxiety for the last three years. Danish Saif’s tweets arrived after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who died of suicide at his Mumbai residence on Sunday. In a series of tweets, Danish Sait opened up about battling depression and said that he has been pursuing “therapy” and taking “anti-depressants” to deal with the mental illness.

“My 3rd year through therapy and anti-depressants, I don’t sleep at night without taking my cipralex tablet. Depression doesn’t look like anything, it makes you feel like nothing from within. Hard to describe, harder to understand. Doctors/professionals have been my only hope,” wrote Danish in one of his tweets while in others, he described in detail the effects of mental illness.

Replying to Danish’s tweet, Deepika Padukone tweeted: “It is extremely heartening to see so many of you coming out and sharing your experience with mental illness.” In a separate tweet, she also acknowledged the “medication and the specifications of dosage” written by Danish Sait in his tweets and recommended him and others to not share such details publicly. She wrote: “However, I would recommend not naming the medication you are on and/or the specifics of the dosage. Simply because: (1) It is not a one rule fits all. (2) The information could potentially be misused.”

It is extremely heartening to see soo many of you coming out and sharing your experience with mental illness. https://t.co/BDArEVZ36b

— Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) June 15, 2020

However,I would recommend not naming the medication you are on and/or the specifics of the dosage.Simply because:
-it is not a one rule fits all.
– the information could potentially be misused. https://t.co/uDDjoZgvNb

— Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) June 15, 2020

In another tweet, Deepika shared a note, in which she wrote: “Repeat after me – Depression is an ‘illness’.”

pic.twitter.com/7oSdllrJzE

— Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) June 15, 2020

Deepika Padukone has, on several occasions, talked about battling depression. After the tragic death of Sushant Singh Rajput, she shared a note on Sunday, urging people struggling with mental illness to “Talk. Communicate. Express. Seek help.” She wrote in her post: “As a person who has had a lived experience with mental illness, I cannot stress enough about the importance of reaching out.”

Deepika, who was diagnosed with depression in 2014, came out openly about having battled mental illness the next year. In 2015, speaking to NDTV, she talked about her experience with depression and said: “I woke up one morning just feeling empty you know like this pitt-ish feeling in my stomach that I was telling them that I get this pittish feeling in my stomach. I woke up like feeling directionless, I didn’t know where to go, I didn’t know what to do and I had these bouts of feeling so low that I would just start crying at the drop of the hat.” Deepika now runs the Live Love Laugh Foundation to help those struggling with their mental health.

After Sushant Singh Rajput’s untimely death, several celebrities have opened up about battling depression. Actress Shamita Shetty also revealed in a social media post on Monday that she battled depression and urged people who are diagnosed with it to “reach out and seek help.”

(If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist.) Helplines: AASRA: 91-22-27546669 (24 hours) Sneha Foundation: 91-44-24640050 (24 hours) Vandrevala Foundation for Mental Health: 1860-2662-345 and 1800-2333-330 (24 hours) iCall: (555)123-4567 (Available from Monday to Saturday: 8:00am to 10:00pm) Connecting NGO: 18002094353 (Available from 12 pm – 8 pm)