Mohsin Abbas and Nausheen Shah open up about depression to Ahsan Khan

Ahsan Khan had a discussion with Mohsin Abbas Haider and Nausheen Shah about their battle for depression.

The Deewar-e-Shab duo appeared on Ahsan Khan’s talk show and opened up about their struggle with mental health issues.

The conversation started with Mohsin’s fame and popularity and moved quickly to the time he was suffering from severe depression.

“It was a challenging time for me and I just wanted to quit. Suicide seemed my only way out,” the Meri Guriya actor shared, “I remember heading out with the intention before my family realised I was missing after a while. They went looking for me and my baaji found me nestled by our mother’s grave, asleep.”

The actor also opened up about the alarming post he’d made a year ago, talking about the severity of his depression leading him to do so and the support he got afterwards

Nausheen Shah vouched for the seriousness of Mohsin’s mental health, adding, “I feel him because I have been there for seven years. I overdosed on Lexatonil to work through the day. I would pray 5 times a day, cry my heart out and still feel down.”

Shah also said: “I have had panic attacks five times and every time I’d feel really ashamed. I was worried my depression would rub off on others, specially my fellow actors. But one day I had a break down on set when Shahroze Sabzwari probed and I eventually opened up. He took me to a nice doctor and now I’m doing much better.”

It was an incredibly brave move on their part, opening up on such a sensitive issue on national television like that and talking about it so responsibly. Ahsan Khan took to Facebook to highlight the importance of such discussions and lend his support to the two actors and anyone suffering from mental health issues.

Depression is a common illness worldwide, with more than 300 million people affected. Depression is different from usual mood fluctuations and short-lived emotional responses to challenges in everyday life,” writes Ahsan.

“I’m glad Mohsin Abbas and Nausheen Shah spoke about it!”

We’re glad too. And kudos to Ahsan Khan for making it happen.