On World Mental Health Day, Karan Johar opens up about his battle with anxiety
Karan Johar
On World Mental Health Day, several celebrities are talking about the importance of mental health and its well-being. Filmmaker Karan Johar has opened up for the first time about his tryst with anxiety and spoke at length about how it was first diagnosed in 2015 and how it came back earlier this year.
Taking to his Instagram page, KJo shared a note and stated that like many, he too felt that ‘this cannot happen to me’.
He wrote how one reads about mental health with compassion but never feels that it could come knocking on your door.
“But it can and it did… In 2015-2016 I felt the first burst of anxiety and knew that something was wrong… my friend guided me to a psychologist and after a series of conversations I knew what I was dealing with and addressed it medically and with a change of lifestyle…. Things got better and I weaned off the meds …,” he shared his experience with anxiety.
The filmmaker added that his anxiety came back this year, and he knew the trigger and so understood how to address it immediately.
He had a word of caution for those suffering from mental health that how ‘simple solutions’ like “go for a drive !!! Meet friends !! Go for a holiday …. Get a massage …” are red flag conversations, and one must be “educated enough in this zone” to even offer advice.
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The filmmaker then shared a message for family members of those suffering, as he wrote, “To family members my advice is simply to make sure that the person going through it seeks professional help…We tend to address blood pressure, diabetes, etc with so much instant ease so why neglect mental health….More power to those brave ones who acknowledge the issue and address it head on… But to the millions who don’t … just know that there is a better life awaiting you…. All you need to do is reach out …”
Johar's honest post was lauded by his fans who dropped comments like, "Well written Karan. You have put it so well,” “Thanks for talking about this Karan! Mental health is difficult to live with and more so if not talked about openly,” and “More power to."
On the work front, Karan Johar made his comeback as a director earlier this year with Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.
He is also set to be back with the new season of Koffee with Karan.
