‘Sushant Singh Rajput had bipolar disorder, was taking medicines for it’: Mumbai Police Commissioner

Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh said that Sushant Singh Rajput was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was taking medication for the same.

Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh on Monday briefed the media about the ongoing investigation into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. According to ANI, he said that the Mumbai Police have recorded the statements of 56 people so far and are probing every possible angle.

“Till now statements of 56 people have been recorded, all angles are being investigated be it a professional rivalry, financial transactions or health. It has come to surface that he had bipolar disorder, he was undergoing treatment and taking medicines for it. What circumstances led to his death is the subject of our investigation,” he said. Sushant’s family has filed an abetment to suicide FIR in Patna against actor’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty.

 

Recently, Sushant’s therapist Susan Walker Moffat told Barkha Dutt in a statement that he and his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty came to her in November-December last year. In a statement, Susan said that she wanted to put to rest the ‘misinformation and conspiracy theories’ being spread online about the actor’s death.

“Sushant was suffering terribly during his bouts of depression and hypomania. Rhea was his strongest support. From the first time I met them as a couple, I was impressed by the degree of concern, love and support she showed. It was very evident how close they were. Rhea took care of his appointments and gave him enough courage to attend, despite his being so fearful that someone would find out,” she said.

“When he was severely ill, he depended on her as somewhat of a mother figure and she completely filled that role with love, encouragement and patience,” she added.

However, Sushant’s brother-in-law Vishal Kirti and the actor’s former girlfriend, among many others, have questioned his diagnosis. “Diagnosing mental disorders is an arduous task and diagnosing someone Bipolar (I or II) is even more so. Not only do you have to observe the person very closely, but you also have to observe them over long periods of time (it takes six years on average to diagnose after the onset of symptoms). Susan very conveniently diagnoses Sushant in less than two months (perhaps over a couple of appointments), with a life-changing diagnosis,” he said in a lengthy blog post.

Vishal also drew attention to the fact that it was Rhea who sought treatment, not Sushant himself. “The FIR claims that Sushant was perhaps given psychotropic drugs by Rhea (maybe even without his knowledge). Covert/Surreptitious medication is also perhaps illegal in the 21st century. There could be many explanations of this sudden onset of mental health issues in October/November of 2019. This could be a result of covert medication and withdrawal of psychotropic drugs (perhaps the covert medication stopped during their Europe trip in October 2019 [perhaps because of eating out mostly so no opportunity to covertly medicate him with food? or perhaps intentionally not medicating?], which led to withdrawal symptoms). And then, he was perhaps taken to the psychotherapist under the pretext of care,” he said.

If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918