I swallowed several sleeping pills: Actor Shama Sikander on her suicide attempt
TV actor Shama Sikander could well be the small screen’s answer to what Deepika Padukone is for Bollywood. If not for her acting abilities or the number of endorsements in her kitty, Shama is the newest celebrity to talk about depression, following the footsteps of Deepika who opened up about her mental disorder in 2016.
In a brave move, Shama said in an interview that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Talking to Times of India, Shama said she was going through a low phase and found everything boring even when things were going great in her life. She added that her former boyfriend and actor Alexx O Neil, who holds a degree in psychology, asked her to meet a doctor as he suspected she was suffering from bipolar disorder.
Shama claimed she even tried committing suicide five years ago. “Though my life was going great, I was bored of it; nothing would impress or excite me. I even tried to commit suicide one night. I kissed my mother good night and told her not to wake me up. After that, I swallowed several sleeping pills at one go. Just before slipping away, I texted my brother my bank account details, which made him panic. He immediately called my mother to check on me and I was rushed to the hospital three hours later,” the TOI report quoted Shama as saying.
She also said she was angry with her family for “saving her” as she wanted to “go and return as a new person”.
Underlining the ignorance about the disease, Shama said, “Like many others, my parents too thought that I was possessed because they didn’t have any idea about bipolar disorder. If you know about it, you will not judge others. I have always been well-behaved and responsible, so I wouldn’t react in public. Only my family saw my extreme reactions. I would leave a party the moment I felt like snapping at someone. I didn’t want to lose self-control in public and the fact that I couldn’t check my emotions bothered me.”
Elaborating on how she recovered from the condition, Shama added, “My condition didn’t improve even after two years of medication, but when it did, I started looking at life with a new perspective. Now, I seek joy in small things and make a conscious effort to befriend people. I have become more open and receiving. I want to share my story so that people will know that it’s okay to be messed up.”
Punjabi rapper Honey Singh, Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh and Varun Dhawan have also talked about facing depression in recent past.
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