Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade - a chronicle of mental illness related suicide

In lieu with handbag fashionista Kate Spade and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain's back to back suicide, I'd like to touch a bit on mental illness and the Indian/Asian attitude towards it.

Like how your body can be broken, your mind can too. If you think telling a person who broke a leg to just get over it, suck it up, he/she is overreacting, it will be okay soon, have an ice-cream to feel better as ridiculous, it's also ridiculous to tell the same to a person citing mental illness.

And, no, what's shown in Sethu and Kadhal climax is not limited to the definition of mental illness - Moonu tried a more realistic approach as did Anniyan but they aren't exhaustive and neither aimed at how to deal with mental illnesses in grounded ways.

We simply call people 'loosu' which means mentally ill. I personally opine that this phenomenon trivialises the danger mental illness is - it literally kills from the inside of your head.

You can't see mental illnesses, especially depression like you can't see pain. But, it's very real and it takes lives. I mean, what Chester Bennington, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain didn't have? Money, fame and loads of admirers and yet they took their own lives. That's what mental illness does - it's an invisible Grim Reaper.

So, first, stop calling anyone 'loosu' especially the loosu koo and loosu soo shit. Secondly, if any of your friends/family members say that they are feeling suicidal, if you notice excessive sadness or disruptive routine, scars that evidence self harming, take them seriously and try to help them.

Lastly, it's okay to be mentally ill exactly like it's okay to be physically ill and the former deserves treatment exactly like the latter.

RIP Anthony Bourdain - No Reservations TLC