Pratyusha Banerjee Commits Suicide - ALL DISCUSSIONS HERE ONLY - Page 15

The news, late on Friday, that 24-year-old actor Pratyusha Banerjee, best known for her role "Anandi" in the television show Balika Vadhu, had ended her lifeafter a bout of severe depression once again spotlights the issue of suicide. Soon after this incident, celebrities tweeted about it, with Karan Johar saying it was "a wake-up call to families and friends who don't consider depression a medical condition".

The incident has shocked her friends with most unaware that she was battling depression " "as is the case with most patients with mental illnesses," says Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Dr. Rajesh Sagar.

"Depression is not like physical illnesses. Therefore, it results in [the creation of] a lot of myths among patients. These are strong people dealing with internal battles. But their physical parameters are normal " they go to work and seem alright " which is why depression does not evoke the same sympathy as a physical ailment. There is help available, but it falls upon the families and friends in the person's immediate circle to ensure that the patient seeks help," says Dr. Sagar. At AIIMS, and as part of his research, he studies the myths that are associated with seeking treatment. "These range from misinformation about taking medication, to being stigmatised as a weak person. There is a treatment gap of nearly 90 per cent in [cases of] mental illnesses due to the fear of being labelled or stigmatised," he adds.

What he means is that only 10 out of 100 patients come in for treatment. This is not surprising as India has among the highest rates of depression in the world. In 2012, as many as 1,35,445 people committed suicide in India. The rate of suicide last year stands at 11.2 cases for a one lakh population. As per figures (rounded-off) provided by the National Crime Records Bureau, on an average, there are 15 cases of suicide in an hour or 371 suicides a day.

Despite being preventable, especially among young people between 15-29 years, suicide is the second leading cause of death globally, according to the World Health Organization's (WHO) global suicide atlas released in 2014. For every case of suicide there are many more people who attempt it each year. Pertinently, a prior attempt is the single most important risk factor for suicide in the general population. And the same report noted that one of the most effective strategies for preventing suicides and suicide attempts is to restrict access to the most common means resorted to which includes the use of pesticides, firearms and certain medications.

For every 100 patients who commit suicide, 90 have psychiatric disorders. Out of this, 75 suffer from depression " which is very much a treatable ailment, says the Director of Department of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences, Fortis Healthcare, Dr. Samir Parikh. There is growing recognition that prevention strategies need to be tailored to each region and implemented in a culturally-sensitive manner.

Broadly, there are three types of hurdles " either help has not reached the patient or the patient has not continued with the treatment or, lastly, the patient does not even realise that she/he could seek help.

Awareness and accessibility need to be addressed at a policy level but immediate family and friends can help " by pushing a patient into seeking treatment. "What we have seen is that a majority of patients suffering from depression are malleable... they are open to try things to stop their suffering," says Dr. Parikh.

One thing is clear, there is hope for everyone, he adds. The taboo and stigma surrounding mental illness will persist until we normalise it " talk about it in schools, among friends, in families and do not stigmatise [it].

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She called her laado, and portrayed one of the most loving mothers-in-law we have ever come across on-screen. Sumitra and Anandi were inseparable on Balika Vadhu, on screen as well as off it.

Smita Bansal, who played Sumitra--Pratyusha Banerjee's doting mother-in-law on Colors' popular show Balika Vadhu, is shell-shocked with the news of her suicide, as she remembers her as a "happy and loving girl" who adored life. "It's beyond me; what could have lead her to take such a drastic step," she tells us in an exclusive telephonic conversation, as she struggles to come to terms with her sudden departure. "We were good friends. We (Pratyusha, Neha Marda and I) used to spend every minute with each other, while being on the sets and even used to go out together," she says, adding, "Pratyusha never showed any signs of depression at that time."

"Pratyusha liked being happy. She wanted happiness in her life. She didn't like being low. She would snap out of it even if she felt low at times," says Smita. In an exclusive conversation with India Today online, Smita Bansal opens up about the Anandi she knew.

Pratyusha literally grew up in front of us
Pratyusha was absolutely new when she joined Balika Vadhu. She literally grew up in front of us. . It was her first major show; she had come from a small town. She was very loving. For us (Balika Vadhu team) the transition was a little tough, with new Anandi coming in, after Avika Gor's exit. Avika was very popular and the expectations were very high from the new Anandi. But she met all the expectations and in fact rose above all of them. She was a good performer, she made herself Anandi which was commendable. We spent a lot of time together in all these years. We had a nice on-screen chemistry. And naturally so because we were very good friends off screen also.

Pratyusha liked being happy
She was a very happy and loving child. And when you are happy and loving, you attract happiness also. We were working together for 20 hours in a month and spent so much time in the make-up room. Neha Marda (who played Gehna), Pratyusha and I particularly shared a very good bonding. I was the senior-most, but they never made me feel like a senior. Pratyusha used to say--let's go out together, and all three of us hung out a lot of times.

Pratyusha liked being happy. She wanted happiness in her life. She didn't like being low. She would snap out of it even if she felt low at times. People are saying, she had depression, but when she was working with me, I could not see any signs of depression. She couldn't have hidden it. She used to discuss all the details with us. She wasn't the kind of person who would hide her woes. Even if she had a small argument with somebody, she used to discuss it and get her out of the system. It is difficult to believe that she had depression. But as they say, anybody could get a depression. It could be possible agar usey suddenly ho gaya ho. But she wasn't depressed at all and a happy person when she was working with me.

She loved life
I never thought she would do something like this. I would not like to comment whether she could or could not have committed suicide. Because I have come to believe that anybody can do anything. But there has to be some reason behind it. She loved life. She was the kind of person who used to start singing out of the blue. She was always updated about the latest movies and songs.

I left Balika Vadhu two years back, and Prayusha left the show way before. We were in touch on and off, but not constantly. In our industry, as we move on to other soaps, we don't have much time to hang out with friends. Even when we talk, we don't really discuss our lives in detail. I don't know how her nature has changed in all these years.

Maybe it was a moment
I considered her a very good friend of mine. She didn't give me any hint about it. If she would have made that one call to any of her good friends who could have put some sense into her. Maybe it was a moment and later she also must have thought--what the hell I am doing.

I knew Kuljeet Randhawa (another TV actress who committed suicide) and I had also worked with her. I had done a show with her and had spent a lot of time with her also. It wasn't the same like Pratyusha, but we shared a good equation. I never felt that she could commit suicide. But as we see in the past two-three cases, it comes from the most unexpected people.

Don't think there was any financial trouble
I don't think she had monetary trouble. I have been in the industry for 20 years. Paisa to aata hi rahta hai. She was constantly working. She did so many shows. After Balika Vadhu, she did Bigg Boss, Sasural Simar Ka, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa etc. She used to do events also. How could she have no money? Even if you are doing one event in a month, there's enough money for a month. She was a very big name, she wasn't a nobody.

Pratyusha was excited about her wedding

She was offered a lead role in &TV's show by Vikas Gupta, but she rejected it. You don't refuse work, if you have financial trouble. She wanted to take a break, get married and that's the reason why she didn't want to do another show probably. The last time I spoke to her, she was discussing what she wanted to wear on her wedding. Kahan par karenge..kaise karenge..wo bhi Jamshedpur ka hai, main bhi Jamshedpur ki hoon and all that. She wasn't the type who would get depressed about work. She wasn't insecure. And why would she be? She saw the heights of success. She became a star overnight.

Pratyusha was very close to her mother
She was loved by her mother. I have seen them together. She was so close to her mother. And she didn't even call her before she took that step. I find it very strange. What mental condition she must have been, is beyond me.

Message for actors: it is most important to be sane in life
But there is a message I want to give to the new breed of actors. Work is important, money is important. But it is most important to be sane in life. A family keeps you grounded and bounded. I am saying this because I feel sad. Our families are very important. I have been married for 14 years and even then if I have the slightest of problem, I call my mother. In Pratyusha's case, I never saw it coming. I have spent so much time with that girl.

Only if she had been with the right people...
I read in a paper that Sara Khan said she tried to commit suicide two times earlier too. If somebody knew about it, somebody should have done something about it. If she had been with the right people, this day wouldn't have come.

She was cut off from the world when she was dating Rahul
A lot of my industry friends were telling me that after Rahul came into her life, she was cut off from the world. Though I understand that when somebody is in love, it happens, you tend to distance yourself from others.

Need for a proper investigation
There should be a proper investigation in her case. There was no suicide note, nor any last messages found. In cases of suicide, generally there is at least one last message, in her case there was nothing, no message, no note."