Part 2 of The Voice Of Hope Newsletter Interview with Dianne Stringer the Peer Support Coordinator, Recovery Educator at Patient/Client & Family Council in Penetanguishene, Ontario Canada.

• (Part 1 The Voice of HOPE: Humor in the Darkness of Mental Illness)

Chato B. Stewart is one of those gems you find when Googling for information for this newsletter. He opened himself up to me recently. Turns out, this guy has some real insight and we could all learn something from his path and his laughter. - Dianne Stringer

Dianne: Have you always used humour to escape….or to connect? What is the difference?

Chato: Humor is used not only to escape and connect but to divert and draw in… When we hear someone laughing, who doesn’t turn, out of curiosity, to see what’s so funny? Still, I believe many of us use humor mostly as an escape from unwanted or unpleasant situations. I used humor when I was a child to deal with my turbulent relationship with my father… I quickly became the class clown in school. I think this was mainly due to the fact that I was dyslexic and had difficulty reading and learning in traditional ways. I could remember audible information and had a logical mind, so I was able to graduate high school without ever reading one book cover to cover.

Thirty years ago, there was no such thing as ADD or ADHD of which, I’m sure, I would have been labeled. It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder that I ever thought of using humor for anything other than drawing attention away from my lack of education.

Mental Health Humor Cartoons

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    Last reviewed: 13 Sep 2011