Anupam Kher has addressed his battle with depression.
He has often talked about his struggle with manic depression.
He insisted on being honest about the diagnosis instead of hiding it.
Anupam Kher has spoken candidly about his battle with depression.
In a conversation with Faridoon Shahryar, Kher confessed the depression diagnosis arrived 10-12 years ago, right when his book The Best Thing About You Is You! was hailed as a bestseller. Troubled by sleepless nights, he initially went to an eye doctor, who referred him to a psychiatrist.
Anupam Kher Details His Depression Diagnosis
“So I met the psychiatrist in his clinic and took my book with me. I told the doctor, ‘Before you start asking me questions, I want to ask you a question. Tell me one problem of yours.’ He told me his problem, I gave him a solution and then asked him about the next problem. For about an hour, I kept solving his problems. Then I gave him my book and said, ‘If you have any problem, call me.’”
He spoke of how he came across the medication his doctor prescribed.
“When I was leaving, I saw that he was writing something on his pad, so I asked him what he was writing. He said, ‘Your medication.’ He said, ‘You are manic depressive, and optimism is your problem. You push everything.’
He said the experience eventually led him to become more open about mental health and his own struggles.
“Then I became the unofficial brand ambassador for mental health. Even optimism can cause depression.”
Kher insisted he has always been vocal about his hurdles. He consciously sought never to brush them away, “Whatever happens to me, I tell my whole story to the world. I had become bankrupt, I had facial paralysis. At the end of the play, I am the tallest man in the auditorium because when I have told everyone everything, what am I afraid of?”
Back in 2024, Kher appeared on the 50th episode of Pinkvilla's Baatein Ankahee, where he had addressed his three-year fight with depression.
“I went to Chicago to a sleep studio and met a lot of doctors. Then after 1.5-2 years, I visited my eye doctor and asked him for some lubricants or eye drops for the lights so that I could face the lights properly. Anupam’s doctor, however, was very hesitant and told him, ‘Sir, if you don't mind, I don't think you need me, you need a psychiatrist.’”
