Mumbai: Sushant Singh Rajput’s psychologist has broken her silence, saying the late actor suffered from bipolar disorder and it was his then partner, Rhea Chakraborty, who gave him the courage to seek help.
Though a doctor typically would not speak about a patient, Mumbai-based clinical psychologist and psychotherapist Susan Walker Moffat said she decided to go public because she was dismayed enough by the coverage of the incident in mainstream media and social media.
Though Moffat declined to do an interview, she issued a statement through audio recording to Mojo Story.
This is the full text of Moffat’s statement:
“In light of the recent misinformation and conspiracy theories currently raging in the press and social media around Sushant Singh Rajput and Rhea Chakraborty, I have decided it is my duty to make a statement.
“In my capacity as a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, I met Sushant and Rhea on several occasions in Novemeber/December 2019, and communicated again with Rhea in June of this year. Sushant was suffering from bipolar disorder, a severe mental illness that can be crippling for an individual during an episode; the symptoms of which can include severe anxiety, major depression and sometimes disordered thinking and paranoia.
“The continuing appalling stigma around mental illness makes it very difficult for patients and their families to reach out for help and support. This has to stop. Mental illness is no different to cancer or diabetes. It can affect anyone, regardless of class, financial standing, success in life and so on, in the way that cancer can. It never denotes fragility, weakness or poor character, as cancer does not. People with mental illness and their families need to feel safe from discrimination so that they can get the treatment and support and acceptance they need. There is no shame in having a mental illness; should one feel ashamed of having cancer?
“Mental illness can be treated; it is often the shame of having such an illness that can drive people to suicide, along with the absolute torment of being in the grip of an illness that affects the way our minds and emotions work.
“Sushant was suffering terribly during his bouts of depression and hypomania. Rhea was his strongest support. From the first time I met them as a couple, I was impressed by the degree of concern, love and support she showed, and it was very evident how close they were. Rhea took care of his appointments and gave him enough courage to attend, despite his being so fearful that someone would find out. When he was severely ill, he depended on her as somewhat of a mother figure, and she completely filled that role with love, encouragement and patience. It was an incredibly hard time for her, as seeing someone suffer through the cruelty of a mental illness is for all family members. The need to keep the experience secret, and bear things in silence is an added trauma.
“The treatment that Rhea has received on social media is deeply shocking to me, as I have only ever experienced her as a deeply caring and sensitive person. Sushant’s sad and untimely death needs to be yet another lesson for us all in ending the shame and stigma around mental illness,” she said.
Watch the doctor’s online statement on her late patient:
