Deepika Padukone recently spoke to The New York Times where she opened up out about her mental illness and how her life transformed once she decided to speak about her battle with depression.

Deepika is known across the globe for her beauty and fashion statement or trying to inspire people, which are seen in many international events like Met Gala and Cannes.

In a first-person piece, the Bollywood star throws light on how according to WHO, 300 million people across the world are suffering the same challenge silently and totally unaware of the fact that what is happening to them.

Deepika said that her path to recovery was with self-reflection. “As I recovered, I started to reflect on my experience. Why did I not know anything about this illness? Why had no one — with the exception of my mother — recognised the signs? And why had I been so reluctant to voice my own feelings? Those questions led me to the decision to go public with my condition,” she wrote in The New York Times.

She said, “Only a person close to you like your mother will only notice such things.”

In India, where mental health is treated as a taboo, the Piku actress wants to remove the stigma around the illness also urged people to break the silence about their stories and seek help if required to come out of this situation. Hence, she setup a The Live Love Laugh Foundation, who will help people illnesses like depression, loneliness and anxiety.

“Our main goal is to remind people that they have a chance for a better life. That is why we named the foundation “Live Love Laugh” — it’s about what a person feels as much as it is about the medical aspect of treating their illness,” said Deepika.