Yashma Gill Shares Her Journey of Mental Health Struggles

Yashma Gill shares mental health struggles, revealing a deeply personal journey on the FWhy Podcast. In a candid conversation with host Frieha Altaf, the bubbly Pakistani actor opened up about her battles with depression, anxiety, and the importance of addressing mental health head-on.

Yashma Gill Shares Mental Health Struggles With the World

During the podcast, Yashma revealed that she was diagnosed with depression at 21, just before moving to Australia for university. The “Khel” actor shared her experiences with panic attacks and a rare dissociative disorder known as derealization, where individuals feel that the world around them is unreal. Yashma recalled telling her psychiatrist, “I can handle depression and panic attacks, but when derealization happens to me, it’s very scary.” Her psychiatrist emphasized that treating her depression would help alleviate her other symptoms. This was a pivotal moment for Yashma, helping her understand the interconnected nature of her mental health struggles.

A Shift in Societal Views

Reflecting on the changing societal attitudes toward mental health, Yashma noted, “Finally, people are talking about depression and understanding it. They know what anxiety is and try to help.” She contrasted this with her mother’s generation, where admitting to mental health issues was often met with shame. Yashma highlighted the importance of viewing the brain as an organ like any other in the body, requiring treatment when imbalanced. “Just like your kidneys, lungs, heart are organs, your brain is an organ as well. If there is a chemical imbalance, there are medicines that can fix that, and you should fix it.”

In the high-pressure entertainment industry, Yashma often faced long hours and emotional suppression. She stressed the importance of confronting and processing emotional pain rather than suppressing it. “The more you try to suppress it and escape it, it will in fact stay there and grow inside you,” she explained. Yashma’s journey began early, with unhealthy behaviors like crash dieting starting at age 12.

Read more: Yashma Gill Reveals How Family Conditions Led to Her Depression