For years, comedian Maria Bamford has been making comedy about her mental health struggles. She has a (very funny) song about her compulsions, which are part of OCD. She has a whole YouTube series about living in her parents’ attic after a nervous breakdown.[1] She’s made comedy about her multiple stays in mental health treatment, her efforts to find the right medications, and her experiences with depression, anxiety, OCD, eating disorders, and bipolar disorder.
In fact, it seems that comedy is not only how she processes these experiences, but also part of her own healing. Of a series of hospital stays around 2010, she said, “Every moment of my life felt unbearable for a year and a half of hospitalizations and outpatient treatment programs. I drooled, I dropped glassware, I passed out face-first into Caesar salads.”
“I could not think, had difficulty speaking and could not—in any way—work. I kept asking other patients the same questions: ‘Do you still have a job? Do you think you’ll ever be able to work again?’ I kept asking my doctors when they thought I’d be well enough to go back to comedy.”[2]
Much like the romanticization of addiction in creatives, there is an idea that mental health disorders add to art—that getting help might make someone lose their “edge.” When asked this question in an interview, Bamford said, “I used to have more rushes of ideas, like thoughts partially because of a lack of meds, and yes, I have gotten out of my bed kind of hoping for those to come back, and they have, and then I feel bad in a different way. I guess I’d rather have my brain be a little bit slower, and then not have as much suicidal ideation.”[3]
Bamford has also pointed out that creative people talk about these struggles more and use them for their art, whereas it’s not socially acceptable for an accountant or lawyer to discuss these topics at work. Bamford not only talks about her experiences with mental health at work, but also highlights the cluelessness of people who don’t have mental health disorders.
A lot of her comedy is about how people react to her. She impersonates various people in her life, most of them well-intentioned but unsure what to do with her. In one of her performances, she imitates her mom saying, “We love you, Maria. We love you, we love you, but it’s hard to be around you.”
Perhaps this is why so much of Bamford’s material works to destigmatize mental health disorders. She talks openly about being very anxious and often afraid, but in this way, she seems fearless.
While the conversation around mental health seems to be shifting, those who deal with severe mental health disorders are still very stigmatized. Bamford shares her experience to help people understand—and to help those who already understand feel seen.
Of her Netflix show Lady Dynamite, Bamford said, “I went through a nightmare, but it means a lot to me that other people with mental illness tell me the show has helped them and made them laugh.”[4]
If you are struggling with a mental health or substance use disorder, there is help and hope. TruHealing Centers offers high-quality treatment for mental health disorders and addiction in facilities across the country. Our staff—many of whom are in recovery themselves—specializes in co-occurring disorders. Call an admissions specialist at 410-593-0005.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFHmNrxkuFU
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/31/arts/television/maria-bamford-lady-dynamite.html
[3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/risasarachan/2020/01/13/maria-bamford-brings-hilarious-honesty-to-the-conversation-on-mental-health-in-whats-your-ailment/?sh=6b478f75659a
[4] https://people.com/tv/maria-bamford-bipolar-disorder-and-mental-breakdown-how-she-rebuilt-her-life/
