World Suicide Prevention Day: Celebs who narrowly survived suicide attempts and talked about depression

From the outside, being a celebrity can seem like the ultimate lifestyle. From the lavish parties, the red carpet moments or adoring fans, those in the spotlight seem like they enjoy it all. However, there is a dark side to fame with constant pressure, and unwanted attention, leading to severe anxiety and depression. Tragically, we have lost quite a few celebrities who took their own life. But, some famous names have survived suicide scares, and have lived through the experience. Some decided to openly talk about these experiences to help others who might be going through a similar crisis. Read on to know more…

How Koushani handled depression during lockdown

The actress once revealed that she was suffering from depression from 2007 to 2010. “Though I had people to talk to, their words failed to comfort me. I couldn’t understand what was going on inside me. In 2010 I was staying alone in my apartment. Thoughts of ending my hopeless life would often cross my mind. I locked myself up for three days. I started blaming myself for everything and couldn’t even breathe properly at times. Nobody had a hint of what I was going through because I’d behave normally to hide my thoughts from the world. I felt alone even in a crowd. As an artiste, I felt the constant pressure to survive, I was subject to backstabbing and surrounded by negativity. But then with the help of counseling and medication, I could let go of my baggage. Once that phase was over, it seemed as if I was given a new lease of life,” shared Rupanjana during an interview.

Parno once admitted that she became suicidal at one point and had thought of it a number of times. “The pain doesn't go away. We slowly move into a shell that becomes unbreakable! It's not easy to open up or just talk to someone. It becomes a part of your being. I just want to tell anyone out there suffering please seek help. I have and I have been dealing with it. It's not been easy but I have friends and family who have been there for me. My doctors have been a huge support,” urged the Bengali actress while speaking mental wellbeing.

In 2013, Sreelekha went through her divorce proceedings and moved to an apartment in Kamal Gaji. That is when she started observing a series of changes in herself. The actress even became suicidal at one point. “I did not feel like going out or socialising, I started spending days and weeks on my sofa, I felt fatigued and avoided the simplest of household chores like heating food. I realised it wasn’t normal and reached out to a friend who took me to her doctor. That’s how my depression got addressed. Those were the dark days. I was almost incapable of doing anything. Thankfully, things were completely in control after proper counseling and medication. Since then I have tried to raise my awareness regarding mental health,” revealed the senior actor during a recent chat.

In 2014, the alleged suicide attempt by Swastika fueled widespread speculation that she inflicted injuries on herself following a heated argument with her rumoured boyfriend and famous theatre personality-cum-filmmaker Suman Mukhopadhyay. Reports even claimed she had stayed in a Kolkata hotel for two days with Suman. Swastika was admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata on the morning of May 24 with deep wounds on her left wrist.

Popular actor Saibal Bhattacharya tried to end his life in August 2022 at his residence at Kasba in West Bengal. According to the police, Saibal injured himself in an inebriated condition. He was immediately rushed to the Chittaranjan Hospital. Before attempting suicide, the actor took to his Facebook handle and shared a live video - which was later deleted - wherein he blamed his wife and in-laws for his condition. According to sources, this is not Saibal’s first attempt to injure himself in such a fashion.

Be it his breakfast show in Radio Mirchi, or witty anchoring, or even his effortless acting performances in films; Mir has tickled Kolkata’s Funny bone with every single of his activities. All that his remarks land him into trouble makes him grow stronger every day. The actor-RJ-performer once shocked his fans revealing a frightful truth about himself on the air! "I have attempted suicide four times within the time period of 2017 and 2019," Mir admitted publicly. Disclosing his darkest thought, he said, “The stress of performing can sometime become tiresome. There are days when I used to cry inside my green room."

Addressing the issue of depression, actor Bhaswar Chatterjee feels only those who have battled depression can realise the situation. “I have gone through this phase last year. Major part of 2019 was extremely painful for me, personally. I used to go for shoot, work the whole day, pull pranks on the sets (it was my only source of oxygen) and when I came back home it was all but darkness and loneliness. I used to sit in a dark room, didn’t have the urge to do anything or talk to anyone. But I had my work, wouldn’t have survived without it. Once I thought of jumping off 14th floor,” the actor revealed during an earlier interview. Speaking about how he battled depression, Bhaswar added: “I spent 9 months like this. I realised I can’t kill myself, I can’t let this happen to me. Consulted psychiatrist, said that I want to live again. I stood up once again leaving everything behind. I told myself we get to live once and I am not going to waste it.”