Watch: Deepika Padukone gives out a powerful message on mental health as she receives the Crystal Award at World Economic Forum 2020

By Tanmayi Savadi

on January 21, 2020

Deepika Padukone has never shied away from coming out in the open about the struggles with mental health issues. The actress who went through a phase of depression and anxiety in 2014, not just started a conversation about the same but brought into effect a movement that created awareness. Deepika, with her foundation named The Live, Love, Laugh, has been helping citizens coping up with mental health issues. Considering the impact Deepika and her foundation has made on society, the committee behind the World Economic Forum 2020 honoured her with the Crystal Award. At WEF, which is currently taking place in Davos, Switzerland, the 34-year-old addressed the audience and gave a heartfelt speech on how severe mental illness as a disease is and why she started The Live Love Laugh foundation.

“Live Love and Laugh exemplify my personal philosophy to life. The foundation aims to provide hope to every person experiencing stress, anxiety and depression. Mental illness has presented us all with a very tough challenge, but in my love-hate relationship with the illness has taught me much. To be patient for one, that you are not alone, but most importantly that there is hope. For in the words of Martin Luther King, everything that is done in this world is done with hope,” Deepika told in her speech.

As #wef20 gets underway, @deepikapadukone stresses the importance of addressing mental health issues when building a more sustainable and inclusive world.@TLLLFoundation

Find out more: https://t.co/yja3lFKDLN #healthyfutures pic.twitter.com/7p0U3AoDpR

— World Economic Forum (@wef) January 20, 2020

Deepika established The Live Love Laugh Foundation (TLLLF) in June 2015. The foundation’s programs and initiatives include nationwide public awareness and destigmatization campaigns, adolescent mental health programs, funding support for treatment in rural communities, training general physicians in common mental health disorders, research and an annual lecture series featuring the world’s foremost thinkers and achievers.

(Source: Twitter/PeepingMoon)