Depression T-shirt featuring Sushant Singh Rajput row: Mockery of mental health, say experts

A t-shirt featuring the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput with the slogan “Depression is like drowning” has caused a furor, with Rajput fans criticizing it, prompting the hashtag #BoycottFlipkart on Twitter. He has also opened up a broader conversation about mental health, with psychologists saying it is mockery and “insensitive images.”

“Such misinformation and misinformation can exacerbate mental health problems, making it more difficult for people to seek help,” says Natasha Mehta, a senior counseling psychologist from Mumbai, adding that “such a thing needs to be publicly corrected, through an apology or by calling, or it will continue to exist on one platform or another.”

In 2020, Rajput was found hanged in his apartment in Mumbai. His death, which was ruled a suicide, gave rise to several theories, leading to an investigation after his family filed an FIR accusing his girlfriend and actress Rhea Chakraborty and her family of complicity in the suicide, among other charges.

Several of her fans took to social media to criticize the platform as “cheap and insensitive marketing,” with some questioning the rationale for using her photo without the family’s permission.

In fact, her fans share that such images not only bring back bad memories, but also affect them personally. “The shirt looks great with Sushant’s image on it. But the only thing I really feel bad about is the words mentioned about depression. What was the need to put it there”, asks Rohit Lakhendra Thakur, administrator of a fan club dedicated to the actor.

Another notes: “My question to Flipkart is why did they come out with this shirt? What was the idea behind this? It’s just hurting feelings.” In fact, one user on Instagram wrote: “The family must immediately take serious action against this shameless behavior… It is defamation. They should apologize to the fans and the SSR family.”

Speaking about the impact of ‘sloppy’ messaging in the name of fashion, psychologist Divya Singh notes: “Her suicide is still fresh in the hearts and minds of many of her fans… And a celebrity suicide can have a domino effect… The t-shirt controversy continues to speak of how mental health is not well understood in our community and how the ramification of such events can trigger the emotional well-being of those struggling with mental health.”

Furthermore, a Mumbai-based psychologist, on request of anonymity, states that “this kind of messaging is definitely not okay because it invades the privacy of the individual”, adding: “It is not useful for the mental health narrative as it it reinforces the romanticization of mental health. This further increases the stigma around mental health and is a step backwards in the process.”

Meanwhile, the online shopping platform has removed the tee from the portal. When we tried to contact them, they said, “As a marketplace platform, we allow sellers to connect with customers across the country. As part of our “customer first” philosophy, maintaining the quality, suitability and responsiveness of the products listed on the platform is our top priority. Based on this, we have removed from the list the product/t-shirt that represents a sensitive issue brought to our attention by customers.”