Laughter, Grief & Mental Health

Laughter, Grief, & Mental Health
by Ted Swartz

It has been almost 12 years since the world lost a great soul. Almost 12 years since my best friend, acting and writing partner took his own life, 12 years since life took a radical turn. Lee and I toured the world performing comedy sketches and plays based on a different understanding of biblical story. We believed laughter and humor cut through to the human side of the story. When we laugh with one another, perhaps about a shared misunderstanding, or when we recognize a truth about ourselves, we draw near to the Creator.

Those stage performances were how most people knew us, and in the way good acting is often about removing layers, they did know us. But, only in part. Lee had a remarkable stage presence, tall, handsome, charming with a razor sharp mind and wit, and he also dealt with bi-polar illness for over 20 years. In the play I wrote several years ago I said this:

We’ve all been down…discouraged… I call this– depression with a lower case “d.”

My kind.

Lee had a different kind. His was a way of life, a monster lurking not just under the bed, but around every corner, a constant companion, the demon that sits on your shoulder….and whispers in your ear, what you do, what you can’t be, what you’ll never become…that depression earns the capital D.

… I didn’t know at the time that’s what Lee had…What I did know was my new friend could alternately move the world with his creative genius one day….

…. the next be unable to get out of bed and simply function as a human being. It was terrifying.

Anyone who lives with, works with, loves a person with a mental illness knows the depths of pain they may endure.

I have spoken to and performed for thousands, in the US, Canada and England about grief, pain, mental illness and mental health. My own healing is tremendously impacted by the response of audiences and individuals who share their own stories with me. Many of those opportunities have come in churches. In the play I describe church as “a well positioned, mostly ill informed followers of Jesus , where we too often hide our weaknesses and vulnerabilities—and confuse mental health with spiritual health.”

I believe this to still be true, but we, the church, are making headway. I am encouraged by the strong movement of many churches to talk about mental illness and mental health. Recently I spoke with a pastor interested in a performance and was so delighted to hear him say, “we’ve just finished a series on mental health.” When we bring subjects into the light, we de-stigmatize them…mental health is certainly one of those conversations.

I hope and pray this continues to be so. The depth of our shared lives together depends on it.
Ted Swartz is an actor and writer living in Harrisonburg, VA. He tours with a variety of original works, always looking for truths wrapped in laughter.

You don’t have to wait for the webinar, “Depression & Bipolar Disorder in the Church,” to roll around on the calendar of events. Schedule one specially for your church now.