Agencies
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Written By: Agencies | Published : October 14, 2013 11:09 AM IST
While shooting for space drama Gravity, actress Sandra Bullock suffered serious bouts of depression as she was locked in an isolation tank for 10 hours at a time.
The 49-year-old admits the lonely sessions took a serious toll on her mental health, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
Director Alfonso Cuaron had to keep a close eye on her to ensure she didn't lose her cool and he used her son, Louis, to cheer her up whenever he felt she needed a boost.
'I was depressed, I was angry, I would get so sad because it was a black room, no human contact, they took away sound... 'What they did was, Alfonso could see, because he had cameras always on my face, he would be like, 'She's cracking, she's cracking, go get the kid',' Bullock said on a talk show.
'They'd created this whole wonderland just outside for Louis (to keep him occupied during filming), so they brought him in,' she added. (Read: 'Depression is as common as the common cold nowadays')
How is depression different from sadness?
Sadness is part of the life without which happiness would have no meaning. To feel sad during major life crises like the death of a loved one, losing a job or the ending of a relationship is normal. Depression on the other hand is a condition where there is prolonged sadness and an individual's mood isn't tied to life events. While healthy individuals have moods related to life events, people suffering from depression suffer from disproportionate amount of sadness and guilt. It is a serious medical condition in which the symptoms make it difficult for the person to function in society, often leads to poor physical health and severe emotional pain.
A cure is not hard to find
Mental illness is a big problem in our culture, in fact any culture. People don't like to acknowledge that they aren't a fully functioning member of society (whatever that means) and there's a tendency to hush up mental illnesses. It's almost considered taboo to visit a counsellor or psychiatrist to seek help. Perhaps it has something to do with the way mental illnesses show distinct changes in our personality, cognition and behaviour the very things that define our being; unlike a physical illness where a certain organ or part of the body is affected. First and foremost, it's very important to seek professional help
With inputs from IANS
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