'Depression is a disease, you need to...': Saheefa Jabbar Khattak comes forward with her mental health struggle

In her recent conversation on actor-host Ahmad Ali Butt’s podcast ‘Excuse Me’, Saheefa Jabbar Khattak spoke at length about her battle with depression, for over a decade at this point. “I’ve been going through depression since 2013, but I had no idea that something like that existed. For 5-6 years, I had panic attacks and I believed that it was because of my temper issues,” she said.

“But then I began to realize the symptoms of depression and anxiety, because what else could be the reason for those panic attacks in an otherwise perfect life where I have loving parents, in-laws, and a supportive husband?” she added. “And later when I did, I got to know that it is genetic, and an uncle and an aunt of mine also struggle with the condition.”

The ‘Bhool’ star bravely admitted to seeking help for her mental health condition and went for therapies, however, as per Khattak, the symptoms became clear and worsened with the long-distance relationship with her husband, who is in Canada for his studies.

Furthermore, her condition worsened due to a therapist, whom she dubbed ‘bad and terrible’, and revealed she made things ‘worse’ for her.

“When I came back from Canada, I was okay for a week or two, but then again my health started to deteriorate, and I had a major breakdown. If I have a disease which is killing me from the inside, why should I hide it?” she explained.

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Khattak also urged people to accept depression as a disease and avoid suggesting religious and spiritual solutions to treat it. “Whenever I would share my situation with anyone, be it my mother or friends, they would advise me to offer prayers and seek guidance from Allah. After coming back from Canada, I used to pray five times a day, as well as Tahajjud and recitation of the Quran, but the depression didn’t go,” she noted. “I’m not blaming the religion, but what I’m trying to say is, that when people tell us in DMs that depression is the result of our job or because of not being close to Allah, I want to say it is not because of it. It is a disease and you need to have empathy, and love and talk to people with care. It is very important.”

“Sometimes things go bad to the point that even healing takes time,” a teary-eyed Khattak concluded in a heavy voice.