So, is it OK to laugh about mental illness?
Apparently so—and it’s actually therapeutic for some sufferers who learn to do standup comedies about their plights. David Granirer, a mental health counselor, author, and standup comic created a program to help people in Vancouver, Canada cope with mental illness through teaching them standup comedy as therapy. So says Pique Magazine of Whistler, B.C. (http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/pique/index.php?cat=C_Entertainment&content=David+Granirer+18.45)
I watched a video clip from one of David’s standup routines and thought it was hilarious. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TUCjBWV7IA)
I ran onto this article as I tried to set up my first Google Alert—something recommended at a recent speakers’ convention I attended. I input “mental illness stigma,” and the Pique article popped up.
Because of the feared stigma, many suffer in silence. I did this for many years. It’s tough to do comedy about something that you won’t talk about in any way. But those who can get over that hurdle, why not laugh about it? I’ve enjoyed reading the section “Laughter is the Best Medicine” in Reader’s Digest magazine. So if laughter is so good, why not for mental illness?
So here’s one by Craig Sharf from the www.rd.com website:
“I was diagnosed with antisocial behavior disorder, so I joined a support group. We never meet.”
Good, huh?
Another one by Charles Addams:
Scene: Chair kicked over below glum-faced man hanging with noose around neck AND right arm alongside head. Woman with hands on her hips glares at him.
Caption: "Darn it, Harold, Can't you do ANYTHING right?"
OK. Enough for now at least.
Apparently so—and it’s actually therapeutic for some sufferers who learn to do standup comedies about their plights. David Granirer, a mental health counselor, author, and standup comic created a program to help people in Vancouver, Canada cope with mental illness through teaching them standup comedy as therapy. So says Pique Magazine of Whistler, B.C. (http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/pique/index.php?cat=C_Entertainment&content=David+Granirer+18.45)
I watched a video clip from one of David’s standup routines and thought it was hilarious. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TUCjBWV7IA)
I ran onto this article as I tried to set up my first Google Alert—something recommended at a recent speakers’ convention I attended. I input “mental illness stigma,” and the Pique article popped up.
Because of the feared stigma, many suffer in silence. I did this for many years. It’s tough to do comedy about something that you won’t talk about in any way. But those who can get over that hurdle, why not laugh about it? I’ve enjoyed reading the section “Laughter is the Best Medicine” in Reader’s Digest magazine. So if laughter is so good, why not for mental illness?
So here’s one by Craig Sharf from the www.rd.com website:
“I was diagnosed with antisocial behavior disorder, so I joined a support group. We never meet.”
Good, huh?
Another one by Charles Addams:
Scene: Chair kicked over below glum-faced man hanging with noose around neck AND right arm alongside head. Woman with hands on her hips glares at him.
Caption: "Darn it, Harold, Can't you do ANYTHING right?"
OK. Enough for now at least.
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