Mental Health Day 2026: Are celebrity mental health stories and OTT shows encouraging Indians to focus on their mental health and seek therapy? At a time when burnout has affected both celebs and commoners, there’s a need to address such issues.
In an exclusive conversation with Filmibeat Assistant Editor Abhishek Ranjit, Nupoor Mohan, Founder and CEO of The Full Circle, talked about how celebrities speaking openly has changed the way Indians seek help, what films and OTT shows still get wrong about therapy, the pressures faced by the people behind the screen, trolling, binge watching, and why real stories move us more than any awareness campaign.
Here are edited excerpts from the interview-
Q1. More actors and public figures are speaking openly about anxiety, depression and therapy. Has that changed how ordinary Indians reach out for help?
Yes, more than we give it credit for. When someone people admire says, “I was struggling and I got help,” publicly, it quietly gives permission to everyone watching. I remember how much shifted when Deepika Padukone spoke about her depression. It moved from a whispered topic to a dinner table one. At The Full Circle, we see the effect every day. People reach out earlier, often in their twenties and thirties, and they come with fewer apologies. Nobody starts with “I know this sounds silly” anymore. But visibility only opens the door.
Q2. Films and OTT shows now show characters in therapy far more often. What do they get right, and what do they still get wrong?
What they get right is normalising it. A character walking into a therapist’s room without it being a dramatic twist is real progress. What they often get wrong is time. On screen, one powerful session fixes everything.
In real life, healing is a process. At The Full Circle, we think of it in five stages: acknowledging what’s happening, understanding the patterns behind it, processing it safely, rebuilding new ways of coping, and finally acceptance. Some weeks it feels like nothing is moving, and that’s often when the real work is happening. I’d also love to see therapists shown as trained professionals with boundaries, not as saints or villains.
Q3. You’ve worked with a content company like Netflix. What did that teach you about the mental health of people who make what we watch?
Working with organisations like Netflix through our wellness programmes showed me how closely creative work and emotional pressure travel together. People who make what we watch put a part of themselves into everything they create, often on deadlines that don’t move, with feedback that can feel very personal. What stood out was how much they valued having a space to talk that sat completely outside the work. Creative people don’t always need fixing. They sometimes need room to put things down for a while so they can keep doing what they love without burning out. That’s the kind of support our organisational wellness work is built around.
Q4. Actors, crew members and freelancers in entertainment live with irregular work, rejection and constant public scrutiny. What should mental health support look like for this industry?
It has to be built around how the industry actually works. Most people in films and OTT aren’t on permanent payrolls, so traditional employee wellness programmes rarely reach them. Support needs to be affordable, flexible and available between projects, because the gaps between jobs are often the hardest stretch. That’s partly why online therapy makes so much sense here.
Someone shooting in another city can still keep their weekly session. I’d love to see production houses treat mental health the way they treat safety on set, as a basic line item and not a favour. And crew members behind the camera, whose stress is far less visible, need it just as much.
Q5. Trolling has become part of being a public figure. How does constant online criticism affect people, and how can someone protect themselves from it?
Our minds aren’t really built to absorb thousands of opinions a day from strangers. Even when someone knows a comment isn’t true, reading it again and again chips away at their sense of self. It can show up as anxiety, broken sleep or quietly pulling away from people. A few things genuinely help.
Decide whose opinion actually matters to you, usually a small circle who know you well. Let someone else filter your comments if you can. And step away from your own feed without guilt. In therapy, we often work on separating who you are from what people say about you. Protecting your peace isn’t weakness. It’s maintenance.
Q6. Binge watching is often how people unwind. When does it stop being comfort and start becoming escape?
There’s nothing wrong with a good binge. Stories are one of the oldest ways humans relax. The question I’d ask is how you feel when the screen goes off. If you feel rested, it was comfort. If you feel heavier, or you’re watching mainly so you don’t have to sit with a thought or a feeling, it may have become an escape. Another sign is when it eats into your sleep night after night.
Our therapists hear this a lot from working professionals who are exhausted but can’t switch off. The answer isn’t to give it up. It’s to notice why you’re pressing “next episode”.
Q7. This year’s World Mental Health Day theme is “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change.” Why do real stories move people more than awareness campaigns?
Because nobody sees themselves in a statistic, but everybody sees themselves in a story. As per the World Health Organization, more than a billion people worldwide are living with mental health conditions. That number matters, but it’s too big to feel. When someone says, “I couldn’t get out of bed for weeks, and this is what helped,” the person listening thinks, “that’s me.” Real stories turn awareness into recognition, and recognition is what makes someone reach out.
Q8. Is there a film or show you feel handled mental health with real honesty?
Dear Zindagi stays with me. It showed therapy as a conversation, not a crisis, and it let healing take its time. The therapist didn’t hand out magic answers. He helped her see her own story differently. It showed a young Indian audience that you don’t need to be “broken” to talk to someone. You just need to want to understand yourself a little better.
Q9. Many young people today dream of careers in film or as creators. What would you tell them about protecting their mental health while chasing that dream?
Chase it fully, but don’t let your worth rise and fall with your numbers. Views, likes and auditions will swing up and down, sometimes in the same week, and if your self worth is tied to them, you’ll be exhausted. Keep a life outside the work: friends who knew you before, a routine and something that’s just yours. Build your support system before you need it. And if things start to feel heavy, talk to someone early. You don’t need a crisis to start therapy. Many of the young people who come to us simply want to understand themselves better, and that’s a wonderful reason to begin.
Q10. As per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Tele MANAS helpline had handled about 34 lakh calls by March 2026. What would you say to someone who is struggling but still hesitant to reach out?
That number tells you something important: you are far from the only one. Lakhs of people have already taken that first step, and most of them were just as unsure. You don’t need perfect words. “I’m not feeling like myself” is enough to begin. You can call Tele MANAS on 14416, speak to a doctor you trust, or reach out to a therapist.
