The tragic death and suicide of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput has started a much-needed conversation on mental health, depression and importance of being kind in these testing times.

Yashma Gill, who has been lauded for her recent performance in Pyar Ke Sadkay, opened up about her own battle with depression and said though that she has talked about this before, she will “keep talking about it till it doesn’t become normal”.

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“As someone who has had first-hand experience of depression, panic attacks and anxiety so severe that it sometimes became derealisation, I can’t stress enough at the importance of reaching out and seeking help,” wrote the actor.

She continued: “Please stop labelling someone’s depression as just a phase or sadness. Sadness and depression are two different emotional states with depression being way more difficult to carry your life with – it’s dark, hollow, emotionally debilitating and can take a toll on your logical thinking leaving u feeling hopeless.”

Gill further said that there were times when she felt that the pain was so severe that she felt like giving up. However, her belief and faith kept her going and with that belief in Allah, she decided not to give up and reached out for help.

“Despite the fear of being called mentally challenged, a psycho or someone that can just not be labelled normal (which are all such shameful terms to give to anyone suffering from the illness of an organ called brain just like other organs can get infected it can too) I started taking therapy,” shared the actor, adding that when therapy hit a wall for her, she opted for medication which helped her recover from depression.

Yashma asserted that “just like other organs in our body that can get infected, the brain is an organ too and can get infected so there is nothing abnormal in that. What’s abnormal is for anyone to not worry about taking care of it or getting it treated like the rest of the organs.”

She concluded by requesting her followers and those reading her note to be kind and empathetic towards each other and not to hurt anyone.

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I’ve talked about this before, talking about it again and will keep talking about it till it doesn’t become normal. As someone who has had first hand experience of depression, panic attacks and anxiety so severe that it sometimes became derealisation, I can’t STRESS enough at the importance of reaching out and seeking help. Please stop labelling someone’s depression as just a phase or sadness. Sadness and depression are two different emotional states with depression being way more difficult to carry your life with – it’s dark, hollow, emotionally debilitating and can take a toll on your logical thinking leaving u feeling hopeless. The worst for me were the times I felt emotionally in pain, might sound foreign to many who have never experienced a mental illness but emotional pains are just like physical pains except that u can’t spot where they are coming from. The pains at times become so severe that you just want to stop feeling and the only way to escape seems to be GIVING UP.. but guess what? I kept my belief firm in Allah swt and to a great extent I’m extremely thankful to my religion and the beliefs that come with it regarding Suicide – ‘it’s haram nd u still won’t find the peace that u are looking for. Having that belief I decided NOT TO GIVE UP and to REACH OUT. Despite the fear of being called mentally challenged, a psycho or someone that can just not be labelled normal (which are all such shameful terms to give to anyone suffering from the illness of an organ called BRAIN just like other organs can get infected it can TOO) I started taking therapy, it did help initially and YES therapy does work but sometimes there’s a massive mal-functioning of neurotransmitters which needs medication to be fixed. (The silver lining to spot is that IT CAN BE FIXED) Likewise, when therapy hit a wall for me I was put on medication and Alhamdulilah mashaaAllah lahulwala quwata illa bila hil aliyul azeem from my own experience I can tell everyone suffering from depression or any kind of mental illness that THERE IS HOPE!! (To be continued in comments section as word limit has finished here)

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