Deepika Padukone says mom realised how she cried differently during depression, knew it 'wasn’t usual boyfriend issue'

Deepika Padukone has spoken about her battle with depression a few years ago. She has recalled how she broke down and her mother Ujjala Padukone realised her 'cry was different'.

Actor Deepika Padukone has recalled her battle with depression, that she went through, a few years. During a Clubhouse session, she opened up on how she broke down and her mother Ujjala Padukone realised how the way she cried was 'different' and 'it wasn’t the usual boyfriend issue or stress at work'.

Deepika Padukone shared a picture with mother Ujjala Padukone on Instagram.

Deepika Padukone in 2015 had revealed that she was diagnosed with depression a year before and had sought help. In 2018, she had told news agency PTI that she feared a relapse 'because it has been such a bad experience for me'. She has always been vocal about her struggle with mental health issues.

Indian Express quoted her as saying in the Clubhouse session, “It basically started in February 2014...I felt empty, directionless and it just felt life had no meaning or purpose. I couldn’t feel anything physically or emotionally. I just felt this void... I felt this for days, weeks and months until one day my family was here and they were going back home and when they were packing their bags, I was sitting in their room and suddenly broke down. That’s when my mother realised for the first time that something was different. My cry was different. It wasn’t the usual boyfriend issue or stress at work. She kept asking me is it this or that. I couldn’t pin point one specific reason. It was her experience and presence of mind that she encouraged me to seek help."

“Life post mental illness is a ‘before and after’. I had a particular life before depression and I have a very different life after that. I keep saying that there’s not a day that goes by without me thinking about my mental health. To ensure I don’t go back into that space, it’s very important for me to focus on the quality of my sleep, nutrition, hydration, exercise, how do I process stress and my thoughts and mindfulness. These are the things I have to do on daily basis not because they are fancy words or it’s cool to do this but I won’t be able to survive if I don’t do all these things,” she concluded.

Deepika Padukone on July 14 had also launched a new initiative to provide assistance to frontline workers in overcoming mental health issues amid the Covid-19 pandemic. She had said that through the initiative -- Frontline Assist -- the sale proceeds from the Deepika Padukone Closet will go to NGO Sangath's dedicated Covid-19 well-being centre.

Meanwhile, Deepika will be seen next in Shakun Batra's yet-to-be-titled film. The actor has several films including 83, Baiju Bawra, Fighter, Sanki, Pathan, and the Indian adaptation of Nancy Meyers' 2015 hit Hollywood film The Intern in the pipeline. It will also star actor Amitabh Bachchan.