How Bleach Helped Me Survive a Mental Hospital

TRIGGER WARNING: Mental Health

SPOILER ALERT: Discusses the plot and characters of the anime and manga Bleach

This was written in October 2019, a few days after my birthday and it is an account of some time I spent in a psychiatric hospital and how the anime and manga Bleach kept me grounded.

Bleach is an anime series about Japanese Death Gods (called Shinigami) and about a human who is given the powers of a Shinigami. It features many arcs and sends the message that the human spirit is capable of enduring and overcoming the toughest of situations. The protagonist, a 15 year old called Kurosaki Ichigo is someone who can see the spirits of dead people and has tremendous spiritual pressure or reiatsu as it is termed in the anime. The viewer follows Ichigo as he first becomes a substitute Shinigami, then goes on to rescue his friends, fighting many battles in the process, before finally taking on the villain of the series- Aizen.
From the word go, I was struck by Ichigo's spunk. In spite of knowing he was fighting beings far stronger than he was, he never gave up. He had decent swordplay skills and he developed a bond with his sword (Zangetsu in Shikai and Tensa Zangetsu in Bankai); and this helped him grow in power.
Plato said that "The measure of a man is what he does with power". Ichigo, though being extremely powerful, only used that power to protect his friends. This protective instinct is what drove him to even risk death. One example of this is when he tells Aizen he doesn't want to fight in city limits and takes the battle to a remote area.
I was admitted into a mental institution on 15th May 2019, and I am writing this sitting in my room there. It is about 5:30pm but the light is sufficient to write with. It is the 10th of September and in five days I will complete 4 months here. Some of you are aware of my ongoing battle with bipolar disorder and I have come here to kill it dead.
The days pass slowly, leaving me with enough time to introspect. Being inducted into the Daycare unit however gives me a weapon to murder time with. It's a mix of counselling and activities, reminding me of Ichigo's training under Urahara and later Youroichi.
I have made progress with managing anger and have come to realise that compared to the other patients here, I am not really sick. I have also realised that my anger triggers my depressive phase and if I don't get angry, I won't fall sick.
I keep thinking-"What would Ichigo do?" Though fictional, his struggle is every bit as real as the situations I have faced in my life. I draw inspiration from Ichigo's deeds and his never say die attitude. Be it Kenpachi Zaraki, Renji Abarai or Aizen, Ichigo has gone up against them all with a smile on his face. Ichigo has kept me sane in this hospital and his attitude has been nothing short of phenomenally inspiring to me.

I hope this anime and manga give you the strength and inspiration which you lack at times and puts a smile on your face

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