Deepika Padukone says India 'long way' from ending mental illness stigma

NEW DELHI (AFP) - Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone has called for bolder efforts by Indians to end the stigma surrounding mental illness.

“We have a long way to go,” said the A-lister, who went public about her struggle with depression in 2015 and won praise for her campaign to spark public discourse on mental health in a country that has traditionally considered such illnesses taboo.

The 32-year-old, who starred in the hits “Padmaavat” and “xXx: Return of Xander Cage” opposite Vin Diesel, founded the Live Laugh Love Foundation to create awareness about mental health.

The charity on Friday launched the results of a survey it conducted in eight Indian cities, including New Delhi and Mumbai, which showed nearly half of Indians held prejudices against people with mental illnesses.

Three out of five of the 3,556 people interviewed for the study referred to the mentally ill using terms like “retard”, “crazy”, or “stupid”.

While a little more than half expressed some fear towards mentally unhealthy people -- with many preferring they be ostracised -over three-fourths showed sympathy.

Fifty-one percent said they would seek professional help if they suffered from a mental illness, signalling a shift in the fear and shame usually attached with it in India.

“What gives us immense satisfaction is... knowing that the stigma built around mental illness over the years is now slowly reducing,” Padukone said in New Delhi.

In December, India's president warned that the country of 1.3 billion people face “a possible mental health epidemic” while releasing a report that found 10 percent of Indians suffered from at least one mental illness.

India has the highest number of suicides in South Asia after Sri Lanka, according to the WHO.

“(We need) to contribute towards building a more caring and inclusive society where those suffering from mental illnesses have a society that they can trust and rely on,” Padukone said.

“India needs it and the world needs it now more than ever before.”