Shama Sikander opens up on suicide attempt, mental health struggles; says ‘I had taken a lot of sleeping pills’

Shama Sikander

Actor Shama Sikander has shared one of the most vulnerable and defining chapters of her life, revealing the mental health battles she endured, including a suicide attempt, on Debina Bonnerjee’s podcast. Known for her work on television and the web, Shama spoke with unfiltered honesty about the time she was hospitalised after an overdose of sleeping pills.
“I had bipolar disorder. You get very snappy. These are suppressed issues which should have been addressed healthily,” she said, reflecting on how deeply depression had consumed her life. “Depression was a world I had created to save me. It made me numb.”
At the time, Shama said she felt alienated by the entertainment world and its people.

“I didn’t like the industry. I didn’t like the people here. Everyone was so selfish, self-centered,” she recalled. “First I went through the pain, and then I just wanted to escape it.”

Speaking about the darkest moment, she said, “I tried to die by suicide but I came back. I was rushed to the hospital. My hands were tied up, and when I saw, I thought this can’t be heaven.”

She continued, “For 4–5 hours I was gone. People couldn’t pick me up. Your body gets heavier when you are unconscious. When I woke up, there was a bucket next to me where they were pumping the poison out.”

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Shama revealed that she had to be physically restrained by medical staff due to her violent outbursts. “When I came back to my senses, I thought, why am I back? I didn’t want to live.”

But that harrowing experience became the turning point. “That was when I got therapy and discovered I had bipolar disorder. I didn’t even know psychiatrists existed. I had a lot of buried anger and was totally lost.”

Her powerful story is a testament to the hidden battles many face—and the courage it takes to confront them and choose healing.