On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, actor Imran Khan opens up about experiencing anxiety and struggling with depression at a point in life when he had everything. “But I didn’t consider seeking help then,” Khan revealed. It was only around 2016 when the issue turned into a pattern and he had no other option but to go for professional help. Now, “It’s been eight years since I started going for analysis sessions,” he shared while talking to Hindustan Times.

Imran, who shot to fame after his debut film Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, recalls how mental health issues and discussions around it were a taboo back in the day. “People, in general, didn’t have an attitude of acceptance. Today’s generation has embraced the idea of mental health care. Their sympathy is mind-blowing. If someone says, ‘I was not feeling great, I went through analysis’, others will encourage them to talk more about it, rather than being judgemental.”.

But his mother came to his rescue. “My mother is a practising psychoanalyst, so I had a very clear perspective about mental health. More than being diagnosed with depression, I voluntarily sought analysis,” he told the news publication.

When asked about his mental state now and if he feels happy, Imran says, Happiness to him is a “strange word” as one can never be happy all the time. “Rather, the question is. Do you feel like getting out of the bed in the morning and doing stuff? If not, you are in a state of actual collapse. In that way, I am in a place that is healthier. Since my early 20s, I had not been in a healthy space, emotionally or psychologically,” the actor wrapped up.