In a recent interview with Pinkvilla, Shruti Hassan shared her struggle of fighting Anxiety since childhood.
Shruti Hassan said that she had anxiety even as a child. “It took me a long time to come to terms with it. I have had anxiety for many years, and I think it was triggered by certain traumas which is the case with most people. Trauma feels like a very heavy word, but anything can trigger it. Trauma is basically something that’s inflicted, (it) could be large or small. That’s why it’s a bit complicated with anything with mental health, because what may be traumatic for you may not be traumatic for me. But it is the way each individual’s mind processes trauma, and there are various reactions to it. In my case the reaction was anxiety,” says Shruti.

She further adds, “So as a child I felt a little bit more competitive energy would affect me negatively. Getting on stage was a phobia for the longest time. When I started singing and performing on stage, since I was 19 I was in music school, I would get these symptoms of really bad anxiety. But I just thought I was not steely, courageous or strong enough for this big bad world. It took me many years, I think actually into my 30s to realise that I had an anxiety disorder.”

Shruti further informs that talk therapy was really beneficial. She also adds that those who suffer from depression or anxiety, it’s not easy for them to talk about it to other people. “In fact, you are mostly trying to keep up the garb or image of being all right. For me it wasn’t fear of being judged, for me the fear was ‘I am supposed to have my s*** together’, ‘I am supposed to be okay’. For different people there are different triggers. In my case, my parents wouldn’t judge me. But that could translate into various things, so it’s difficult to talk at first for anybody,” Shruti asserts.

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Shruti Haasan on Fighting This Mental Disease Since Childhood: The Battle for Mental Well-being

The world of cinema often presents a dazzling façade of glamour, confidence, and effortless success. Yet, behind the public eye, celebrities navigate the same human struggles as everyone else. One of the most courageous voices to emerge from the Indian film industry on the subject of mental health is that of actress and musician, Shruti Haasan. She has openly shared her long-term battle with a debilitating, yet common, condition that began manifesting in her early years: Anxiety Disorder.

Her decision to speak with transparency about her life-long fight has been a pivotal step in challenging the deeply entrenched stigma surrounding mental illness in India and beyond. This is her story of struggle, diagnosis, and the power of seeking help.

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A Shadow from Childhood: Recognizing Early Symptoms

For Shruti Haasan, the symptoms of anxiety were not a sudden onset in adulthood; they were a persistent shadow woven into her early experiences. In her interviews, she has reflected on a feeling of being constantly “on edge” and “over-emotional.”

While many people experience nervousness, the nature of a clinical anxiety disorder is the frequency, intensity, and disproportionate response of the worry to the actual situation. Haasan has described how early experiences, including the very public nature of her famous parents’ separation and the general stress of a highly competitive environment, acted as significant triggers for her young mind.

The Early Manifestations of Anxiety

Haasan’s specific examples of her early struggle align closely with how anxiety disorders often present in children and adolescents:

• Performance Phobia: She revealed that getting on stage was a long-standing phobia, which is a classic symptom of Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia), where the fear is centered on being scrutinized or judged negatively by others in a performance or social setting.
• Irritability and Unease: She was often seen as ‘irritable’ or ‘misunderstood’ by others, a common behavioral response in children with anxiety disorders who may act out, be restless, or have difficulty relaxing.
• Avoidance and Emotional Overload: She noted that the competitive energy, such as that experienced during exams or in sports, would affect her “very negatively,” leading to avoidance and heightened emotional reactions.

Like many who struggle silently, she initially mistook her symptoms for a lack of “steely” resolve or courage, believing she just wasn’t “strong enough for this big bad world.” This self-blame is a powerful consequence of mental health stigma, leading individuals to put on a false front of being “all right” and delay seeking professional help.

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From Confusion to Clarity: The Journey to Diagnosis

The turning point for Shruti Haasan came much later, taking her until her 30s to finally understand and put a name to her condition. This late realization is not uncommon, as anxiety disorders, especially when present from childhood, can often be mistaken for personality traits or simple ‘stress.’

The pivotal step in her healing process was seeking professional help. She credits therapy—specifically talk therapy—for providing her with the necessary tools and self-analysis to understand her thought patterns and triggers.

The Role of Therapy in Managing Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric conditions affecting children and adolescents, and the mainstay of treatment is psychotherapy.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): This is the most common and effective type of talk therapy used for anxiety. CBT helps individuals learn coping skills by challenging and changing negative thought patterns (the ‘cognitive’ part) and slowly facing fears (the ‘behavioral’ part).
• Understanding the ‘Why’: Therapy allowed Shruti to see that her trauma triggers, even small ones, were valid and required processing, leading to the eventual diagnosis of Anxiety Disorder.
• Long-Term Management: As she wisely stated, anxiety is not like a “bad knee injury” that can be ‘fixed’ and cured; it is something one learns to live with and manage for life.

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Shruti’s Coping Toolkit and Advocacy

Shruti Haasan’s openness extends to the healthy strategies she has adopted to manage her anxiety disorder, offering tangible hope to others.

A Holistic Approach to Well-being

• Sobriety: In 2017, she chose to give up alcohol, realizing that removing that “crutch” greatly helped her state of mind.
• The Power of Music: As a musician, she found a therapeutic outlet in music, noting that heavy metal, which others might perceive as loud or aggressive, serves as her form of meditation and makes her feel grounded.
• Transparency: She advocates for being transparent about her journey, viewing it as a way to remain authentic and combat the image-conscious pressures of the film industry.

A Champion for Destigmatization

More than just managing her own life, Shruti Haasan has become a vocal advocate for mental health awareness. Her message is clear: the most important step to fixing anything is being able to discuss it openly.

She constantly emphasizes the importance of normalizing the conversation around mental health, stating that people should “keep talking till it is normalized.” Her message is a powerful call to action:

• The ‘Stomach Ache’ Analogy: She uses the simple example of a stomach ache to illustrate why mental health requires professional help. Just as you go to a doctor for persistent physical pain, you need to seek professional help for persistent mental distress, rather than accepting the unhelpful “chin up” attitude.
• Compassion and Inquiry: She urges people to check in on their loved ones, not just for the sake of it, but by asking, “how are you actually doing?”
• Challenging the Stigma: Haasan actively combats the misconception that mental health issues are “always someone else’s problem” until they become a crisis in one’s own life.

By sharing her lifelong fight with anxiety disorder—a battle she has fought since childhood—Shruti Haasan transforms a personal vulnerability into a powerful source of strength. Her story is a vital reminder that mental health is a journey, not a destination, and that seeking help is a sign of profound strength, not weakness.

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AISEO Friendly FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q1: What specific mental health condition has Shruti Haasan battled since childhood?

A: Shruti Haasan has been open about her long-term battle with Anxiety Disorder and the symptoms of anxiety, which she experienced from her childhood and early life, though she was only formally diagnosed in her 30s.

Q2: What were the early signs of anxiety that Shruti Haasan experienced as a child?

A: The early signs included a fear of getting on stage (a form of social phobia), feeling overly emotional, being easily irritable, and being negatively affected by competitive energy and public scrutiny.

Q3: How did Shruti Haasan manage her anxiety and recover?

A: Shruti Haasan manages her anxiety through professional therapy, particularly talk therapy, which helped her understand her patterns and triggers. She also credits music (specifically heavy metal as a form of meditation), transparency, and leading a sober life (abstaining from alcohol) as essential coping mechanisms.

Q4: Why does Shruti Haasan advocate so strongly for mental health awareness?

A: She advocates to destigmatize mental health, arguing that professional help should be viewed no differently than visiting a doctor for a physical ailment. She believes sharing her journey and keeping the conversation going is crucial to normalizing mental health struggles.

Q5: What is the most effective treatment for anxiety disorder in children and adults?

A: The most common and effective treatment for anxiety disorders is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a form of talk therapy that teaches coping skills and helps modify negative thought and behavioral patterns. Medication may also be used in combination with therapy if needed.