Depression and anxiety are usually difficult for those people to understand who have not experienced it. It isn’t like other diseases because it is commonly misunderstood. People who have depression are very often judged by others too therefore it is like a taboo. There are many Pakistani celebrities who did not only fight depression and anxiety but also talked about it in detail in order to help others out there who might be depressed seek help.
Pakistani Celebrities have recently been quite forthcoming when discussing their mental health. It is not easy talking about something so personal on a public forum. Yet, a lot of celebrities have talked about their depression and anxiety in talk shows and on social media. These Pakistani celebrities are sharing their stories for a good reason, they want to spread awareness about mental health. When people watch these celebrities on their television screens, very often they think that these celebrities live a perfect life. While most of the celebrities try their best to keep that image up, there are some celebrities who have shared their journeys and the challenges they faced because they were depressed for the longest time.
Here is a list of those Pakistani celebrities who fought depression and anxiety and were honest enough to share their stories:
Nausheen Shah
Nausheen Shah has been in the limelight lately because of her exceptional performance in drama serial Deewar-e-Shab. Most people, however, do not know that Nausheen Shah was struggling with depression and anxiety when she was shooting the serial. She had been fighting depression for almost 7 years and although she went to see the doctor, she did not get the kind of help she was expecting to get. The doctor gave her a relaxant and Nausheen Shah started using drugs because it brought short term relief. One day she completely broke down in front of her co-actor Shahroz Sabzwari and he guided her in the right direction. Nausheen Shah is still fighting depression but with the help of medicine and experts to guide her.
Momina Mustehsan
In 2018 when model Anam Tanoli took her own life after fighting with depression, many celebrities talked about mental health and how important it was to support each other. Momina Mustehsan spoke about her own struggle with depression through an Instagram post. She posted her picture and wrote, “This is a picture of me from when I was going through turmoil not very long ago. It happens to the best of us. Mental health is just as important as physical health, and we all hit points in our lives sometimes when all seems to be falling out of our control.” This was not the first time that Momina talked about her struggle with depression. She made several videos in which she talked about her struggles in detail and she also had a special message for the trolls. Momina’s struggle basically showed that celebrities too sometimes find it really hard to cope with the demands of their work and they, of course, are under severe scrutiny continuously which adds to the deterioration of their mental health.
Hina Altaf
When Hina Altaf talked about her fight with depression, she was one of the first celebrities to talk about this issue in detail. She shared the symptoms she had and everything she did which helped her. Hina Altaf’s honesty won people over. She also talked about how the environment in her house affected her mental condition. Hina also gave credit to the doctor who totally turned her life around. She also talked about schizophrenia, another mental disorder which the people do not know much about. She made it a point that she talked about her fight with depression in every talk show because according to her that is what her therapist recommended. Hina Altaf’s interviews definitely helped people understand depression and they went viral. She used her fame for this constructive purpose and while doing so, Hina Altaf also healed herself. People supported Hina and she got more fame after she came out with her struggles with depression and life in general.
Mawra Hocane
Mawra Hocane along with her sister Urwa talked about depression rather casually when they were invited as guests in Nida Yasir’s morning show. They were criticized and made fun of after they remarked that the kind of food you eat causes depression and food can also cure depression. They were criticized for their ill-informed opinions and that is when both the sisters decided to talk about their own struggle with depression and anxiety. While replying to someone on Instagram, Mawra Hocane shared that she had been battling with anxiety and she also showed her support for all those people who were fighting with the disorder. This was Mawra’s way of telling the world that she was not ill-informed but she too was going through the same turmoil. She also cited different sources that supported her claim that processed food adds to depression.
Hira Mani
Hira Mani’s interview with Samina Peerzada has been a memorable one for many reasons. Her honesty about everything she had been through in life made her viewers connect with her at a different level. Hira Mani talked about depression and that she was going to a therapist to cure her depression. She stated that when she entered showbiz, she became too competitive and materialistic. Because of this, she went into depression, she was constantly trying to own things which other popular actresses had. Then a moment of realization changed everything for her. She realized that the reason for her depression was that she was trying to find happiness where there was none. Hira Mani cried while talking about this phase of her life and had an important message for her listeners as well.
Nouman Javaid
Nouman Javaid was so depressed that he tried to kill himself. His suicide attempt was initially termed as an accident but later on, Nouman talked openly about how difficult it was for him to fight depression. While talking about the tough times he had been going through Nouman said in an interview, “I was in depression for quite some time before finally attempting suicide. I was facing issues in life but I wish to make it clear that Fariha was not the only reason behind my depression; there were a number of other things involved.” Nouman Javaid’s marriage with Fariha ended weeks after his suicide attempt. Before attempting suicide, Nouman also posted a status saying “mein chala” (I am going). In a recent interview, Nouman Javaid said that he was focusing on namaz and his work to help him deal with heartbreak and now he was content with his life.
Mohsin Abbas Haider
Mohsin Abbas Haider’s mental health issues came to the limelight after he posted a status a few years back in which he said that he shared the torment he had been going through. Although Mohsin posted this status in a moment of agony and later decided to delete it but the support he got as a result of it was overwhelming. In a recent interview, Mohsin Abbas Haider shared that he basically put that status up because he was contemplating committing suicide and he thought this would be his last status. Luckily, he survived that difficult phase and that is when he started opening up about his struggles with mental health.
Babar Khan
Babar Khan also talked about the extreme depression he went through after his beloved wife Sana Khan passed away in a tragic incident. Babar Khan made a television appearance after many years and talked about how depressed he got and also attempted to take his own life. Babar Khan’s struggle with depression has been a long fight which finally ended when he had his first daughter and he felt that his life had meaning now. Even now Babar Khan hardly ever gives interviews and struggles with staying happy.
Juggan Kazim
Juggan Kazim often talks about mental health because she has gone through a really difficult period of her life when she was in an abusive marriage. Juggan got really depressed and had low self-esteem. When her son was born, her life got meaning but the abusive marriage left her broken. She often talks about the importance of therapy and how important it is to seek help in such situations.
In the context of these stories shared by celebrities, one should understand that depression is something real and not at all intentional or dramatic in any sense. It is serious and anyone around us can suffer from it either rich or poor, smart or obese, tan or fair, tall or short and belonging to any professional background. These celebrities can promote awareness in this regard like the above mentioned have done by sharing their own stories without any hesitation and every one of us should step ahead to do so in order to heal others and letting them have a chance to speak up about what they are facing in their life.
