Depression like any other illness and treatable: Deepika Padukone

Actor Deepika Padukone on Monday said people must understand depression and anxiety are like any other illness and can be treated and her own experience has encouraged her to work for this cause.

"My love and hate relationship with this has taught me a lot and I want to tell everyone suffering from this that you are not alone," she said while recalling her own struggle with depression and mental illness.

"One trillion dollars is the estimated impact of depression and mental illness on the world economy," she said while receiving the annual Crystal Award here on the first evening of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2020.

"In the time it has taken me to accept this award, the world has lost one more person to suicide," she said.

"Depression is a common yet serious illness. It is important to understand that anxiety and depression is like any other illness and treatable. It was experience with this illness that encouraged me to set up Live Love Laugh," she said while talking about the foundation she has set up for this cause.

Padukone was given the award for her leadership in raising mental health awareness -- which she did by going public with her own experience with anxiety and depression.

Motivated by her own experience, she set up her foundation to provide awareness programs in schools in India, funding for free psychiatric treatment, medical education programs, public awareness campaigns and more.