Deepika Padukone is one of India’s most successful actresses and models, known for her work in Bollywood, her global impact, and her advocacy for mental health awareness. A former national level badminton player, she ventured into cinema and rose to fame with blockbuster films like Om Shanti Om, Padmaavat and Fighter. He also made his Hollywood debut with xXx: Return of Xander Cage. One of the highest-paid celebrities in the country, she is widely considered a fashion icon and a powerful voice for mental health awareness, praised for her authenticity and bold career choices.
He once said, “People talk about physical fitness, but mental health is equally important. I see people suffering, and their families feel a sense of shame about it, which doesn’t help. One needs support and understanding. I am now working on initiatives to create awareness about anxiety and depression and help people.”
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Deepika Padukone has been open about her mental health challenges. In a 2025 interview with Brut India he said, “Therapy and counseling are generally good for us, to understand ourselves better and to understand other people better. I think a little self-assessment is important, but a little therapy won’t do any harm.”
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She added, “I advocate therapy even for people who have not experienced mental illness. I think therapy and counseling help us understand our thoughts, feelings, and emotions.”
Deepika also shared the first question her doctor usually asks: “How’s your nutrition? How’s your sleep? How’s your hydration? Are you exercising? Are you getting enough sunlight?”
According to news agency ANI, Deepika revealed that she had even thought of committing suicide several times. Expressing gratitude to her mother Ujjala Padukone, she said, “I give all the credit to my mother for recognizing the signs and symptoms, because it happened so suddenly.”
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Deepika’s struggle despite success in career
He told that despite being at the peak of his career, he had to struggle deeply. “I was at the peak of my career, everything was going well, so there was no reason or no apparent reason why I should feel the way I was feeling. But I would break down for no reason. There were days when I didn’t want to stay awake. I would fall asleep because sleep, for me, was an escape. I would sometimes be suicidal,” ANI reported.
Recalling her experience, she said that she often displayed bravery in front of her parents living in Bengaluru. She said, “My parents live in Bengaluru and whenever they used to come to visit me, even now when they come to visit me, I always have this brave attitude, like everything is fine, you know you always want to show your parents that you are fine.” However, one day, when her parents were leaving for Bengaluru, she cried.
Deepika, who spoke publicly about her depression in 2015, runs the Live Love Laugh Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting people struggling with mental health problems.
(Discussing suicide can be triggering for some people. But suicides can be prevented. If you are looking for help, some suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are 011-40769002 from Sanjeevini (Delhi based, 10 am – 5.30 pm) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai based, 8 am – 10 pm), +91 Vandrewala Foundation (Mumbai based, 24×7) at 9999666555.