Industry divided over Rajput’s therapist going public
After late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s therapist, Susan Walker, opened up about her deceased client’s mental health, in an interview with journalist Barkha Dutt, there has been a raging debate on whether she broke the client confidentiality clause and is it even ethical for a therapist to go public with such information.
Writer Apurva Asrani, who has been very vocal about the mental health aspect of this case, feels the therapist shouldn’t have gone to the press. “She should have gone to the police and/or Sushant’s family first. There’s so much stigma in society about seeking help for mental health issues. Ms Walker’s betrayal of the patienttherapist confidentiality will deter many from seeking help in the future,” he says. Calling it a “cardinal crime”, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, tell us, “I take all these people, who are directly or indirectly involved in this — therapist, cook, girlfriend, anybody, is committing a crime if they’re talking to media, unless the police has closed the investigation.”
Producer Pritish Nandy concurs and feels it’s not correct for a therapist to talk about it. However, he adds, “Since the matter has now become a criminal case, I don’t think the psychiatrist has the privilege of holding on to that confidentiality clause... Therefore, not only in her own wisdom, but as per law of the land, she has spoken out to set the record straight.”
Walker also defended actor Rhea Chakraborty and said that she was Rajput’s biggest support. Reacting to this, actor Kamya Shalabh Dang, says, “If we talk about ethics, this should not have come into the public. The doctor is not supposed to share details about the patient. But since so many things are happening, I don’t know was she under pressure and spoke up.”
As someone who has herself battled depression, actor Chahatt Khanna, says, while it’s definitely meant to be confidential, revealing it should be valid in a case like Rajput’s, as police needs to investigate it. “They need to know if it was suicide or murder… This is mandatory. For people saying, why the therapist said in public, I don’t think there should be any problem. We’re all trying to solve this case, and get justice for Rajput,” she says.
Actor Samir Soni affirms that he’d not take Walker’s word as gospel truth. “In fact, if she did want to give a balanced view, she should have exposed the person who prescribed the medicines to Rajput as she cannot do that, she’s just a psychologist... I don’t know how the law stands on this if a death is involved,” he reasons.