Comedian Mental Illness

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Being a comedian seems, to many, to be the life of luxury; entertaining people, decent amount of wealth, and an overall great quality of life only to be shattered by the reality that Comedians are in fact the most mentally unstable people. The world of theater has been filled with the duality of comedy and tragedy since ancient times. Court jesters had to deal with abuse from nobles and those higher up in the social ladder leading to a miserable life (Janus). This is not the best outcome for a comedian, however, they at least can sympathize with artists and other creative people since the elements that make someone classified as creative is very similar to the cognitive processes of people with psychosis (Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) …show more content…

One problem with identifying mental illness is that the victim most of the time puts blame themselves as a sign of weak willpower or misguided morals. This is a huge problem in that it can amplify those are already having difficulty coping with mental health like comedians (Davis). Many people, not just comedians, deal with this on a day to day basis. What perpetuates the problem with having a mental illness is saying that it is all your fault for having it. Obviously this is not true, but the pressure we put on people who have jobs that require socialization is too much. It pushes them over the edge to the point of a mid-life crisis. Craig Ferguson said that on his light night show, "The first year, I wore lucky underpants," says Ferguson, 46. "I'd put them on for the show and then I'd come off the show and wash them and put them on the next day." It took a few hundred episodes, but the wry Scotsman decided, "You don't have time for that crap. Just do the show!" (Ingrassia). While many people use different ways to cope with stress from entertainment professions they will end up being consumed by it. The industry is extremely stressful leading to many difficult challenges to be faced. While some may want to say that having luck anything helps the reality is that it becomes too stressful to keep up with the realization that you use it as a way to exhibit confidence. However many people try to ignore their illness, contrary to what the purpose is evading responsibility puts mental health issues at a deadly high risk of it worsening. It perpetuates the stigma giving more isolation to the victims of mental illnesses (Davis). Mental illness is a tricky subject to confront with a person. The idea is that mental health is a personal issue which is completely false. The stigma many face not

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