Mumbai, Nov 13 : Actress Pratiksha Rai, known for her role in the show â??Vasudha,â?? recently opened up about her mental health struggles.

In an exclusive interview with IANS, she revealed that she once battled suicidal thoughts. In a candid confession, Pratiksha shared that during one of her lowest phases, she even searched online for ways to end her life. The actress revealed that she was suicidal after her father passed away. â??I even searched on Google for a painless way to end it. I felt like my world had ended. But thankfully, I had my family, my mother and my brothers, who gave me a reason to live. I decided to live for them.â??

Pratiksha believes that conversations about mental health often begin only after someone is no longer around. She said, â??When someone dies by suicide, then everyone suddenly remembers them. But when the person is alive and suffering, nobody cares. In fact, people gossip, they mock, and they say â??attention seeker.â?? Iâ??ve experienced it too. Thatâ??s why I donâ??t talk about my struggles with people anymore.â??

Rai went on to add, â??I share them only with a few close ones or sometimes even with AI because I know people will just add masala to the story and talk behind my back. And thatâ??s the sad part. Technology can help, but it can never replace human connection. AI can listen, but it cannot feel. We, as a society, need to wake up before itâ??s too late. Because this is not just data; these are lives.â??

She further expressed that many people have faced tremendous loss, especially in the aftermath of COVIDâ??be it jobs, stability, or loved ones. Speaking about the industry, Pratiksha noted that the struggle has intensified, with payments dropping significantly and earnings remaining nearly the same as they were back in 2018 or 2019.

â??The statistics are terrifying. As someone who has personally gone through a very dark phase after losing my father, I can completely understand what those people must be feeling. Everyone says, â??Be strong, be strong,â?? but when you reach that point when you actually think about suicide, itâ??s not about strength or weakness.â??

/IANS