Last week, Mumbai Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh had addressed the media following the suicide of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput in July, saying, 'It has come to the surface that he had bipolar disorder; he was undergoing treatment.' This was followed by the recent suicide of television actor Sameer Sharma. This has led mental health experts to highlight the importance of awareness and action.

Bipolar disorder, specifically, is a mood disorder characterised by episodes of emotional swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs, and can be of different types: Bipolar I, where the individual may suffer severe episodes of mania and depression; Bipolar II where they experience hypomania (mild mania) with severe depression, and Cyclothymia, where hypomania and depression last for years, but show no specific pattern nor matching the severity of the symptoms. The last type sees individuals experience loss of grip over reality, where they see and hear what doesn't exist.