Danish Sait, Comedian Who Made Us Laugh During Lockdown, Opens Up on His Battle with Depression

The death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput on Sunday afternoon has opened the conversations around mental health conversations, which otherwise is still considered a stigma in our society.

With many people coming forward open about their battles with depression and mental illness, Bengaluru-based actor, radio host and comedian Danish Sait, too, opened up about his story of 'therapy and anti-depressants'.

Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone who has been vocal about her mental health, called it "heartening" to see people sharing their experience with mental illness as she came across Sait's account.

Padukone, in another tweet, however, urged netizens to avoid naming their prescribed medication as it wouldn't fit all and had the potential to be misused by others. The actor was referring to one of Sait's tweets where he had mentioned a particular drug that he had been prescribed to him by his doctor.

Read: A Spike in Google Search for 'Depression Symptoms' After Sushant Singh Rajput's Death

In a Twitter thread, the actor wrote, "Depression doesn’t look like anything, it makes you feel like nothing from within. Hard to describe, harder to understand. Doctors / professionals have been my only hope."

On Google, people searched for 'depression symptoms' after the Mumbai police said they suspect Sushant Singh Rajput's died by suicide. The 34-year-old actor's demise has sent shocks in the entire film industry and got social media again to talk about mental illness including anxiety, stress, depression, suicidal thoughts and so on.

In a subsequent tweet, the comedian wrote, "Our trigger points are very different, for some it’s professional, some it’s personal. Sometimes, there’s just nothing but a hollow feeling." He added that this entire feeling is like a "gas chamber where it’s hard to live and breathe. Medical help is the bomb! Do it, even if there’s nothing wrong with you, it’s helpful."

He wrote that once you spend time with therapists and you realise there’s a science to living life. "There are techniques that help us deal with everyday bull, people / situations / conversations cause trauma, can’t blame them for being them, instead we work on ourselves to navigate around problems."

Danish described how a broken hand can never be fixed by a mechanic next door. Similarly, a broken mind needs a professional tool. "Self-fixing is hard,simple truth is we’re barely aware of ourselves," he said.

Emphasising on the importance of mental health awareness, Danish wrote, "Awareness to a problem is half the solution to a problem, my brain doesn’t produce enough chemicals that keep me balanced, I induce them, it works for me. I work out, it works for me, I speak, it works for me. Fix yourself! Don’t be shy, it’s all cool "

Read: Stop Using 'Commits Suicide' When Reporting on Sushant Singh's Death. It Implies Criminality  

Danish's thoughts resonated with my many, who came forward to show their support for the actor and delved into a further discussion around mental health issues.

Incidentally, Danish has been the reason for many of our laughter during the lockdown as everyone was forced to be cooped up in homes to protect ourselves from the Coronavirus. His lockdown humour that was relatable gave the giggles to many. Danish's story is yet another reminder that too often we don't know what's behind that smile, behind that joke.

READ: Bengaluru Comedian is Making People Smile in Times of Stress

Note: This news piece may be triggering. If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata).