Bigg Boss contestants on multiple occasions have mentioned how the show journey can get mentally draining. This makes us one wonder -- can the show affect someone's mental health and if so to what extent?

A reality show contestant suffers multiple panic attacks. Other participants mock their need for psychiatric help. Someone else whines about emotional breakdown and childhood trauma after stepping into the controversial Bigg Boss house. In Bigg Boss 15, yet again, mental health became a topic of discussion when singer Afsana Khan held a knife in her hand during an argument with fellow contestants. While she was evicted from the show after this incident, housemates continued to talk about her health issues. Week after week, year after year, the audience has seen contestants serve their quirks, insecurities, and often instabilities for voyeuristic pleasure and TV ratings.
Bigg Boss contestants on multiple occasions have mentioned how the show journey can get mentally draining. This makes us one wonder -- can the show affect someone's mental health and if so to what extent? India TV got in touch with BB 15 housemates and Dr Pallavi Arvind Joshi, Consultant - Psychiatrist, Manipal Hospital, Varthur Road, Bengaluru to probe more.
"The audience may feel this is a drama but when you go inside the house and you have no one around, things do get difficult," Afsana Khan confessed after her eviction from the reality show.