Deepika Padukone's heartfelt note about depression

It came as a shock when superstar Deepika Padukone opened up about her struggles with depression a few years ago. However, ever since the courageous actress broke her silence around the problem, many actors have been vocal about their own battles with the mental ailment.

In the wake of the twin tragedy that struck us with acclaimed chef Anthony Bourdain and fashion designer Kate Spade losing their lives to depression, Deepika took to social media to once again shine the spotlight on the seldom-discussed ailment.

In a long, poignant note, Deepika poured out her feelings.“Every 40 seconds, a person dies by suicide. We are reminded of these grave statistics when the loss is centred around prominent individuals who are mourned across the world. Last week, the world lost two of its shining stars to the growing epidemic that is depression. They did not take their own lives. DEPRESSION did,” she wrote.

Drawing attention to the insidiousness of the disease, Deepika touched upon how those suffering from depression rarely let it show. “To the outside world, they seemed ‘happy’. They seemingly ‘had it all’. Then how did they “fall” into depression?” The element of depression that is grossly misunderstood is the belief that you have control over your illness. In reality, you don’t. You are not in the driver's seat anymore, the illness is,” wrote the actress.

Deepika also talked about the stigma that surrounds the mental ailment. She says in her note, “Depression today is a growing epidemic, yet there is so much stigma attached to it that individuals are often dissuaded from seeking help. Asking someone to just “snap out of it” is the equivalent of telling someone with a broken leg to continue walking.”