EVERYTHING THAT Deepika Padukones #DobaraPoocho Plan Turns into Wrong About Depression

Admin 21-Oct-2016 16:42:41 Inothernews

My timeline on Twitter and Facebook is filled with videos of The Live Love Laugh Foundation’s ad campaign, Dobara Poocho – which carries the tagline “Foundation against depression”. While I’m excited to see that we are talking about mental health more openly, the campaign has honestly been a mixed bag. In a country like ours, where depression is treated in temples, mosques and even considered a weakness, the attempt to be the India’s "first ever public mental health awareness" campaign is commendable. Which is why the depiction of depression and the attitudes towards the condition are deeply disappointing.



It would have helped if the ad would have addressed how treatable depression is. An emphasis on a line of treatment which includes reaching out to a psychiatrist, psychologist and possible helpline numbers have been of huge help.


While the Dobara Poocho campaign comes with its intention and heart in the right place, it misses out on how layered and debilitating depression can be. I got a call soon after the campaign launched, saying how this person doesn’t feel anything portrayed in the ad but is still unhappy and feels stuck — so is it alright for him to seek therapy? With the impact and outreach the campaign had, it would have been so much easier if there was more research and greater fleshing out of symptoms and not just a cosmetic description of depression. After all, this isn’t an ad selling a brand of cold drinks, it is an ad aimed at building awareness on mental illness. It’s only fair to expect that it should have been treated with more insight and nuance.


Sonali Gupta is a Mumbai-based clinical psychologist for over 12 years and works with children and adults to increase their emotional and social well-being.

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