I’ve got mental illnesses – not a humor deficiency. I laugh, I share memes, I spiral into existential dread and still send reaction photos. So yes, I joke about mental illness. But here’s the thing: there’s a difference between laughing with us and using us as the punchline.

Let’s settle this once and for all: Is it ever okay to joke about mental illness?

Short answer: yes – if you’re NOT being a jerk about it.

Long answer: buckle up, we’re diving in.

Sometimes, laughter is how we survive. I have literally said, “Hold on, the voices in my head are too loud, I can’t hear you.” That’s not just comedy – that’s coping. If I can laugh about my own brain being on Hard Mode, then maybe I can survive another random Thursday.

Humor can be healing, but like meds, dosage and ingredients matter. A joke from someone living it? Probably relatable. A joke from Chad in accounting who thinks that being schizophrenic means having “multiple personalities”? He can go sit in a corner and think about how unfunny his joke was.

Who Gets the Mic?

Here’s the golden rule: If it’s not your reality, maybe don’t turn it into your punchline.

• If you’ve lived through it? Joke away, legend.
• If you’ve watched one Netflix documentary and now think you’re an expert on “crazy people”? Absolutely not.

Your trauma = your material. Someone else’s trauma = not your open mic night. Heard?

Stay silly,

Oliver ❤