Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan is currently receiving treatment in the hospital after he was tested positive for COVID-19. Nevertheless, he is still quite passionate about sharing his thoughts and feelings on social media, whether it’s life lessons on the ‘6 kinds of individuals’ we must save ourselves from or sharing a video of a Carnatic singer who brightened up his day at the hospital.
T 3600 – In these times of trial .. the entire day is filled with your love and care .. and I can only express what best I can from here .. my immense gratitude .. pic.twitter.com/7ZbZauBmQG
— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) July 20, 2020
Recently, he took to his personal blog ‘Bachchan Bol’ to pen down a long blog post on his mental health while being in the isolation ward, reports NDTV.
He starts off by saying, “In the darkness of the night and the shiver of the cold room, I sing .. eyes shut in attempted sleep .. there is no one about or around .. and the freedom to be able to do that will extend I know if in the Will of the Almighty there is a release… The aftercare has ever been the deciding and most valuable time on recovery after the incident of medical professional doctoring in the patient life ..”
He then draws attention upon a very important factor about how mental health can take a toll on a patient suffering from coronavirus. He says, “There is one note of matter that seems trivial but it is a factor .. the mental conditions and the effects of the disease .. clinically, medically all that is known to be effective, yet very little is known that remains hidden unseen and not visible .. matters of the mind often are not ..”
He adds, “The mental state sparks from the stark reality that the COVID patient, put in hospitalized isolation, never gets to see another human .. for weeks… There are the nurses and the doctors on a visit and medicine care .. but they ever appear in PPE units .. you never get to know who they are, what are their features, expressions because they are forever covered in the units for protection .. all white beings about .. almost robotic in their presence .. they deliver what is prescribed and leave .. leave because longer stay has the fear of contamination ..”Â
He continues, “The Doctor under whose guidance the care and mapping and reports are governed by never ever comes near you to give a hand of assurance .. a personal detail of the treatment in the close proximity of an assurance .. they are on the communication vehicle of FaceTime .. its the best under the circumstances .. but it is still impersonal, it cannot physically be possible otherwise .. we are in remote treatment ..”
He concludes with a very important point which touches upon the stigma a COVID-19 positive patient might face even after the isolation period is over. He notes, “Does it have an effect psychologically mentally, psychologists say it does .. patients after release are tempered .. they are given to consultation with professional mind talkers .. they are afraid to be in public for fear or apprehension of being treated differently .. treated as one that has carried the disease .. a pariah syndrome .. driving them into deeper depression and in the loneliness that they have just come out of..”
You can read the entire blog here. Conversations like these around mental health are very important, and we hope that it continues to bring more awareness and support to people around us.
Cover Image Source- Left