‘Mental disorders run in the family’: Aamir Khan’s daughter opens up about dealing with depression, handling parents divorce

Speaking to The Times Of India, Aamir Khan’s second daughter Ira opened up about mental health struggles, especially with clinical depression which she was diagnosed with five years ago. It was through the help of her father, film star Aamir, that she began seeking help for her mental illness, and learned that her family has a history of mental health disorders.

Khan revealed that altough her parents divorce had not impacted her much, there were still signs that led her to believe something was wrong and led her to come back to India from the Netherlands:

“My mom pointed out that I didn’t want to be alive so I would just sleep my day away so that I would have fewer hours to live in a day.”

Ira said she was on medication now, but still experiences bouts of anxiety, which is taking some time for her to understand how mental health issues are common in her family.

“Every 8-10 months I will have a big crash. It’s partly genetic, partly psychological, and partly social. It took me a while to figure it out. But I have mental health disorders in my family. I also did not make healthy choices and I systematically walked into depression.”

Khan spoke about the organisation she had set up Agastu Foundation, which aimed at education people about mental health support and providing them with resources to get better. Her parents, Aamir and Reena Dutta, are both members of the advisory board, and her dad had helped in setting up until Ira was able to recieve funding.