In this session, I sat down with Kunal Kapoor, the actor and social entrepreneur, to discuss my mental health journey with him and Ritu Bhatia, scriptwriter of Aisha and popular digital series Mentalhood. In this session of Real People, Real Stories, which is an open dialogue among those who live with mental illness, they shared their stories of experience, strength, and hope.
My mother had undiagnosed schizophrenia for 25 years. Seeing her go through recovery is what really was the start of my mental health journey. It was fascinating to hear Ritu’s story as we were both in a caregiver role for our loved ones. While I was taking care of my mother, she was taking care of her brother, often prioritising his mental health needs over her own issues of depression and anxiety.
We talked about the impact of mental health and how it runs through families and discussed why mental health is such a taboo topic in India. Despite the topic being quite a serious one, we still managed to have a light-hearted conversation filled with learning and hope. I’m excited to share my experience with you all and hope you take away our message of hope and strength!
#MyMindMatters #RealPeopleRealStories
About the author: Neha Kirpal is Co-founder, InnerHour and Mental Health Ambassador.