It’s not uncommon for celebrities to speak out about mental health issues today. But there are some who have gone the extra mile, putting the weight of their clout behind the cause and investing significant energy and resources in spreading mental health awareness through their foundations. Here we list those Bollywood celebrities who can be considered as mental health advocates today due to their activism in this field.
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Celebrities campaigning for mental health awareness
1. Deepika Padukone
© Instagram.com/deepikapadukone
Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone is perhaps the most significant name associated with Indian celebrities promoting mental health awareness. In addition to opening up about her depression in 2015, Deepika started the Live Love Laugh Foundation.
In fact, on Meghan Markle’s recent podcast, Deepika opened up about how people didn’t think she meant business when it came to depression: “With anything good you do, there’s always going to be skepticism. There were a lot of people who thought I was either doing this to promote a movie or they thought I was getting paid by a drug company and I’m going to start promoting some kind of drug now.”
Photo credit: Instagram.com/tlllfoundation
But despite the naysayers, Deepika has remained a crusader for the cause. Today, her organization helps people find counselors, provides hotlines, and has several programs involving students and people in rural areas. Through this platform you can connect with real doctors and get help for mental health issues such as stress, anxiety or depression.
2. Ira Khan
© Instagram.com/khan.ira
Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira recently founded the Agatsu Foundationand said, “Agatsu is my attempt, it’s my way of trying to find a balance, trying to achieve a balance, to make my life better for me, to help you make your life better for you , whatever that means to you.”
The organization aims to provide resources for mental health and well-being and also offers community-centric workshops where people can meet, talk and do exercises to promote their well-being. They also host webinars with psychologists on various topics related to mental health to raise awareness of the topic.
Photo credit: Instagram.com/agatsufoundation
This comes after Ira’s candid confession about her own experiences with depression: “There are many sides to me. This is a conflict between two of them that has severely impacted my attempts to heal from my general depression. But the burnouts are getting longer, so now I have to try harder.” She also spoke about how difficult it was for her to accept her own depression: “Even now there is a part of me that doesn’t believe, that thinks that I’m overreacting and that’s because of the way my depression manifests itself. I don’t harm myself, I don’t do drugs, I don’t drink much coffee, I don’t have an immediate threat to my life, so my depression doesn’t manifest itself like that.”
3. Shaheen Bhatt
© Instagram.com/aliaabhatt
Alia Bhatt’s older sister, Shaheen Bhatt, has been open about her struggles with clinical depression and anxiety. Shaheen wrote a book I’ve never been (un)happierabout their experiences with mental illness.
While launching the book with sister Alia at her side, Shaheen told Barkha Dutt for Mojo Story, “For me, that means going public and dealing with my insecurities and putting them all on the table. We now live in a society where everyone pretends to be fine all the time. We’re constantly sugarcoating everything and we’re all scared. And yet, for some reason, we all pretend we don’t. When you speak authentically about anything, it connects you because someone says, ‘Oh shit, I’m not the only one who feels that way.'”
Photo credit: Instagram.com/herecomesthesunofficial
Shaheen has also launched a platform called Here Comes The Sun to encourage conversations about mental health. She also inspired Alia’s work in Dear Zindagi, a film centered around a young woman with mental health issues who begins seeing a therapist.
4. Navya Nanda
© Instagram.com/navyananda
Shweta Bachchan Nanda’s daughter Navya runs two organizations, Aara Health and Project Naveli. Aara Health primarily provides health products for women, but is also a platform that provides awareness and education on issues related to mental health. The Naveli project, which focuses on gender equality, also addresses mental health issues, particularly those of women.
Video credit: Instagram.com/aarahealth
In addition, Navya has also spoken out about suffering from anxiety and seeking treatment for it. In a video shared by Aara Health, Navya spoke about seeing a therapist about her anxiety: “People sometimes realize too late that they need help. I go for, like, severe anxiety. I get really bad anxiety sometimes and I just don’t know why. I think I actually learned confidence from going to therapy.”
5. Jameela Jamil
© Instagram.com/jameelajamil
British actress Jameela Jamil, known for her work in The good place and you HulkShe started the platform I Weigh to initially deal with body shaming. But now it has blossomed into a podcast and a full-blown mental health movement. To address the mental health issues caused by a lack of inclusivity in the fashion, beauty and entertainment worlds, I Weigh is now a community aiming to reverse the exclusionary shame that leads to depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia, eating disorders and many others leads to mental health problems.
Photo credit: Instagram.com/i_weigh
Jameela herself has also taken to social media to share her experiences with it and how her body dysmorphia and eating disorder ruined her mental health in her early days in the entertainment industry. Today she makes sure that the same doesn’t happen to other people.
6. Selena Gomez
© Instagram.com/selenagomez
Pop singer, Hollywood actress, and former Disney Channel star Selena Gomez has been consistently public about her mental health. From struggling with the pressures of fame to being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she has always been committed to speaking out about mental illness.
She also produced the show 13 Reasons Why, which sparked conversations about bullying, mental health and self-harm. She recently founded the Rare Impact Fund for mental health advocacy, and some proceeds from her beauty brand, Rare Beauty, go to this foundation.
Lead photo credits: Instagram.com/shaheenb, Instagram.com/deepikapadukone
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