New Delhi: TV actor Shama Sikander, known for her portrayal of Pooja Mehta in ‘Yeh Meri Life Hai’, recently opened up on mental health in an interview with Bollywood Bubble. The actress admitted that she had tried to commit suicide once and how she survived.
Beginning her chat on mental health, Shama advised people who are going through a low phase in their lives to get a pet. She said that having a pet will change your attitude towards life and make one feel that all is well in life.
Shama Sikander on depression & bipolar disorder
When asked if she had a major meltdown or a disturbing time in her life that felt like a breakdown moment, Shama shared that she was in ‘severe depression’ and had undergone a major low in her life.
Recalling a time some 10-15 years ago, when she was severely depressed and may have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, like her grandmother had, she did things that people thought ‘isme jinn aa gya hai, par mere andr koi bhoot voot nahi aya tha (I had lost control over myself. People thought I was possessed),” Shama shed led on a rather difficult time of her life.
“I used to feel a sudden surge of energy, and I would pick up things and throw them. I undertsood the power of shuffling energy into whichever mode you want or like.” She recalled leaving films annd quitting the industry at the time.
When Shama was asked what was the reason behind her depression, she stated that depression does not happen like that. It is very layered, and it doesn’t happen overnight. Calling it a mental complexity and not a mental illness, she added, “Apke dimag mein aise jumbled up thoughts hote hai jo aapke andr ek partiuclar emotion paida karte hai (You have jumbled up thoughts in your mind that create a particular emotion within you) and you feel that sadness everyday not knowing why you cry and howl like that….”
Shama on attempting suicide
When she was asked if she ever had suicidal thoughts, Shama declared that she did try to commit suicide once. “I did try to commit suicide once and I was saved by my family. Yeah, when I came back, I asked this question why you brought me back because before going, I had a chat with God, that I don’t like this role. I dont like pleasing people and all. I am tired of all this and whatever. I want to come back as somebody else. So, lets make a deal, I am committing suicide now, so you give me another birth.(sic)”
Recalling the instance, where she took sleeping pills and slept, Shama said that in her dazed state, she messaged her bank details to her brother and this led to confusion in her house about whether she was actually sleeping. So, then her family took her to the hosiptal, where she was first refused to be admitted and then later treated.
Shama called those 2-3 years of her life, ‘that patch of her life, very very hard”. The actor also shed light on the difficulty of figuring out what she wanted to do with herself.
“What should I do when I wake up in the morning,” were some questions that she looked upon as challenges in her life.
(If you have or know anyone facing anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, or any mental health challenges, please get help or encourage others to get help from a medical professional or contact a crisis helpline)
