Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone on Monday said people must understand depression and anxiety are like any other illness and can be treated.

She added that her own experience has encouraged her to work for this cause.

“My love and hate relationship with this has taught me a lot and I want to tell everyone suffering from this that you are not alone,” she said while recalling her own struggle with depression and mental illness.

“One trillion dollars is the estimated impact of depression and mental illness on the world economy,” Deepika Padukone said while receiving the annual Crystal Award on the first evening of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2020 in Davos, Switzerland.

“In the time it has taken me to accept this award, the world has lost one more person to suicide,” she said.

“Depression is a common yet serious illness. It was my experience with this illness that encouraged me to set up Live Love Laugh,” Deepika Padukone said while talking about the foundation she has set up to improve mental health.

Padukone was given the award for her leadership in raising mental health awareness.

Motivated by her own experience, Deepika Padukone set up her foundation to provide awareness programmes in schools in India, funding for free psychiatric treatment, medical education programmes, public awareness campaigns and more.

Source; The Indian Express