This image was posted on Instagram by shamasikander
New Delhi:
Actress Shama Sikander, a familiar face on TV, has revealed that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder four years ago. In an interview to Hindustan Times, the 34-year-old actress said that she was in denial at first.
"I was dating Alexx (O'Nell, the actor) at that time and he has a psychology degree. He pointed it out to me and at first my reaction was 'no, I am not going to a doctor. I am perfectly fine and there is nothing wrong with me'. However, he insisted that I have a condition and I should address it," Ms Sikander told Hindustan Times.
Ms Sikander also spoke about struggling to cope with the disorder. "For one year I did not even know what was happening to me so I had no idea and I just used to feel very dark, gloomy and sad. I did not know what the reason behind this was, but I felt directionless. I felt hopeless and I hope that never happens to anybody because hope is what we survive on and if we don't have hope we have nothing. The feeling was so dark that I would wake up at night and start crying without knowing why I am crying. Only someone who has gone through it can understand and how I feel it is," she said in the interview.
Shama Sikander now wants to help others battling the condition. She said. "The only thing I know is that I want to help others and when you know what you want to do, everything else just falls in place. If anything like that comes forward, then I would love to do it. I would love to talk to people because that is one point where you feel that nobody can help you. I want to tell them to hold on as you are bigger than your problems."
On Twitter, Ms Sikander has reached out to those who have also been diagnosed with the illness. In a tweet, she wrote: I want every1 to read this I want to reach out to every1 n help them join thm in thr fight n say hey it's OK.
Shama Sikander, best known for her work on TV shows Yeh Meri Life Hai and Baal Veer, is the third actor to publicly discuss mental health. In 2015, actors Varun Dhawan and Deepika Padukone spoke about battling depression.
"I was dating Alexx (O'Nell, the actor) at that time and he has a psychology degree. He pointed it out to me and at first my reaction was 'no, I am not going to a doctor. I am perfectly fine and there is nothing wrong with me'. However, he insisted that I have a condition and I should address it," Ms Sikander told Hindustan Times.
Ms Sikander also spoke about struggling to cope with the disorder. "For one year I did not even know what was happening to me so I had no idea and I just used to feel very dark, gloomy and sad. I did not know what the reason behind this was, but I felt directionless. I felt hopeless and I hope that never happens to anybody because hope is what we survive on and if we don't have hope we have nothing. The feeling was so dark that I would wake up at night and start crying without knowing why I am crying. Only someone who has gone through it can understand and how I feel it is," she said in the interview.
Shama Sikander now wants to help others battling the condition. She said. "The only thing I know is that I want to help others and when you know what you want to do, everything else just falls in place. If anything like that comes forward, then I would love to do it. I would love to talk to people because that is one point where you feel that nobody can help you. I want to tell them to hold on as you are bigger than your problems."
On Twitter, Ms Sikander has reached out to those who have also been diagnosed with the illness. In a tweet, she wrote: I want every1 to read this I want to reach out to every1 n help them join thm in thr fight n say hey it's OK.
That is a great news in so happy for u n I salute ur courage n strength.U hv shown tht YOU r bigger thn d problm https://t.co/UCfFknfMtP
— shama sikander (@shamasikander) March 8, 2016
Shama Sikander, best known for her work on TV shows Yeh Meri Life Hai and Baal Veer, is the third actor to publicly discuss mental health. In 2015, actors Varun Dhawan and Deepika Padukone spoke about battling depression.
