(InEDC) Staff, ROCKLIN – In honor of National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a comedy show was held at the Recital Hall on September 14th. The aim of the show was to discuss mental health and decrease the stigma associated with it.
The event was hosted by the Dean of Student Wellness and Support Services, Victoria Flores, along with the Director of Student Mental Health Services, Taylor Johnson. Both wanted to create an atmosphere where people felt comfortable talking about mental health. Flores explained, “There is so much mental health stigma and most people don’t feel comfortable talking about it and we really wanted to bring a show that might help decrease that stigma, get people laughing a little bit, and the education at the end.”
The show featured four talented comedians from Rocklin’s 1 Degree of Separation comedy group, who strive to end the stigma of mental illness through laughter. Brad Bonar Jr, the founder of the group, expressed the importance of using comedy to address dark and tragic topics such as depression. He said, “When you can take something dark and tragic and you can laugh, it makes it smaller, it makes it less and it helps you get through it.”
This comedy group has previously performed for sixth-grade classes and upwards. Taylor Johnson, who has worked with 1 Degree in the past on high school campuses, was approached by the group to organize this show. Bonar asked five questions after the stand-up portion of the show, encouraging audience members to also reflect on and answer these questions.
Bonar revealed that he started the group after watching the HBO documentary “Inside My Mind”, which focused on the suicide of Robin Williams. He felt that the documentary did not adequately address depression and decided to create a show that openly tackled the topics of depression and suicide. He spoke about his own personal experience, sharing, “I found a suicide note I wrote when I was in the sixth grade and at first I thought ‘Oh sixth grade. That’s cute.’ But then I thought that since at least the sixth grade my whole life, I had suicidal ideation and I never talked about it.”
One of the comedians, Carlos Rodriguez, has been part of the 1 Degree comedy group since its inception six years ago. He bravely shared his struggles with drugs and alcohol abuse, stating, “I am a recovering alcoholic and addict. I have been sober for about 11 years now. I get depressed, I get angry, and then I would self-medicate. When I started getting sober and I met my sponsor, one of the first things that we started going over was ‘Don’t let other people control you’, and that was so powerful.”
Another member of the comedy group, Chelsea Bearce, opened up about her first show at CRC and being a survivor of domestic abuse. Bearce, who grew up in a church, also discussed her mother’s perspective on depression. She said, “In her mind it wasn’t real because if you had God, he takes it all away. She didn’t understand and she didn’t think that her daughter would have it.”
Sydney Stigerts, a comic from El Dorado Hills, described her depression as feeling very heavy. She explained, “It’s hard to move, almost like I am drowning. I can see the surface and I need to get up there but I just can’t.”
Flores emphasized the importance of students seeking help if they are struggling with their mental health. She encouraged them to access the free services offered on campus. Flores stated, “We just want to give our students the tools and resources to really be successful with their time here at the Los Rios Community Colleges with their educational goals and their life.”
This comedy show not only provided laughter to the audience but also opened up a dialogue surrounding mental health. By sharing personal stories and tackling serious topics through humor, these comedians aimed to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. The event served as a reminder that it is okay to talk about mental health and seek support when needed.
