Actor Deepika Padukone has received the 26th Annual Crystal Award for her leadership in raising awareness about the importance of mental health, according to a release on the website of World Economic Forum. The release called her a “an internationally acclaimed actor, fashion icon and mental health ambassador from India.”
On receiving the award, the Padmaavat actor said, “I am humbled and deeply honoured to be chosen for this year’s Crystal Award and dedicate the award to the millions around the world who experience stress, anxiety and depression, and other forms of mental illness.”
“With more than 300 million people suffering from the illness, depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability in the world today and a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease. It is therefore increasingly clear that now more than ever before, we need to aggressively address what is an invisible and overlooked health and social burden,” the actor said who herself was diagnosed with clinical depression in 2014 and sought professional help to aid her recovery.
She founded The Live Love Laugh Foundation (TLLLF) in June 2015, to give hope to every person experiencing stress, anxiety and depression (SAD). The foundation’s programmes and initiatives include nationwide public awareness and de-stigmatization campaigns, adolescent mental health programmes, 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.
Apart from Padukone, artist Theaster Gates and choreographer Jin Xing have also been felicitated with the Annual Crystal Award.