Comedy and mental health. Are they as natural together as toast and Nutella?
There’s a long-held belief in the creative industry that copywriters are alcoholics. I haven’t done a massive amount to shake off that stereotype, to be honest. I was given several litres of vodka for Christmas. By family members. At least it was sort of an encouragement and not an intervention.
By the same measure, you might think that comedians just have to be bonkers. Or you might think that stand-up is amazingly brave, and nobody who does it could even remotely have anxiety. Or you might think you’d have to definitely be out of your mind to even consider it.
Comedy Central has teamed up with mental health charity Mind on a series of stand-up routines. The channel will broadcast all ten specials for free.
See the whole playlist on YouTube below:
Interestingly, Comedy Central picked Mind as its ‘national charity partner’. This came about because the channel actually asked employees what mattered to them. Mental health was top of the list.
The whole campaign is being boosted on social media with the hashtag #PerformanceAnxiety.
Mind’s stats show that one in four of us will experience some kind of mental health issue this year. That includes anxiety and panic attacks, depression, eating disorders and loneliness.
A quick online search for ‘comedians with depression’ brings up people like Robin Williams, Tony Hancock, Caroline Aherne, Ruby Wax and Stephen Fry. It’s hard to say whether being laughed *at* satisfies the need for validation or just makes things worse.
As uncomfortable as the subject matter may be for some, it’s heartening to see so many ladies taking part. Felicity Ward and Angela Barnes are getting involved, as are Sofie Hagen, Caroline Mabey and Suzi Ruffell. In fact, that’s a 50/50 split of men and women. Nice work, Comedy Central.
They’re all great choices – Felicity’s Mental Mission is a documentary about the comedy mindset, and Sofie Hagen’s been very outspoken on similar issues.
Felicity said: “I wanted to be involved in this campaign because I have anxiety, depression and an unpredictable bum hole [Irritable Bowel Syndrome]. I figure if I keep talking about it eventually people will feel sorry for me and give me lots of money. Also, Mind do great work and I’m hoping some of their goodwill will rub off on me.”
Edinburgh best newcomer Sofie Hagen added: “There are two ways you can feel alone. There is the good alone which involves a duvet, some pizza, some more pizza, Comedy Central and no bra.
“And there is the bad alone, where you think the world is too much and no one else feels the same.
“I am supporting Mind because people need to know that a lot of people are struggling with something and we should all struggle together – with pizza.”
Paul Farmer, Mind’s Chief Executive said: “We’re delighted Comedy Central has chosen to support Mind, and launch the partnership in such an innovative, and engaging, way! We know laughter can boost wellbeing and hope that the #PerformanceAnxiety campaign will bring young people together, make them laugh and – most importantly – reach an audience of people who may not feel that they can talk about their mental health.
“The Comedy Central partnership will also help us reach a point where anyone with a mental health problem feels able to ask for, and access, the help they need. Money raised will fund our work including the Mind Infoline, information and advice services, and the campaigning we do to secure a better deal everybody who experiences a mental health problem.”
You can donate £3 to Mind right now by texting STAGE to 70660.
