Mental health becomes routine: Buffalo Grove man uses standup comedy to share struggles, promote treatment

Yash Hatkar's journey in standup comedy began at what he planned to be his life's end.

After years of struggling with sexual identity issues and obsessive-compulsive disorder, life seemed a chore.

He decided on May 23, 2022, that an overdose of Prozac would provide a way out.

“I was prescribed to take one,” the 24-year-old Buffalo Grove resident and Stevenson High School graduate said recently. “I read online that four times the dose would be very dangerous. So I did eight.”

Hatkar put on the series finale to the Netflix series “Ozark,” thinking it would be the last thing he watched. By the time it was over, “logic kicked in,” he said.

“I realized maybe I shouldn't have done this.”

He called his therapist and checked into Highland Park Hospital, where he spent a week in the young adult ward. He then received treatment through Rogers Behavioral Health in Skokie until his release in August.

The idea of turning to standup comedy began when his best friend remarked how Hatkar often joked about his struggles. “One day, I'll see a standup (comedy special) about this on Netflix,” his friend said.

His decision crystallized after seeing a performance by comedian John Mulaney, who discussed how his battles with drug abuse helped inspire him to try standup.

“This guy was telling primarily an entire life story through the lens of comedy,” Hatkar said.

Hatkar will share his story during a performance March 25 at Chicago's Davis Theater, 4614 N. Lincoln Ave. The 7 p.m. show will be preceded by a panel discussion featuring mental health experts from organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Proceeds will benefit Highland Park Hospital and Rogers Behavioral Health.

Experts say stories like Hatkar's illustrate how comedy can provide an outlet for discussing sensitive or difficult issues like mental health. “Too much information” or “too soon” are standard punchlines in a standup routine when a difficult topic is broached, they say.

“Laughter and humor both have multiple benefits,” said Brian King, a standup comedian and public speaker who has a doctorate in psychology. “Laughter helps us to relieve stress.”

King, who wrote the book “The Laughing Cure: Emotional and Physical Healing — A Comedian Reveals Why Laughter Really Is the Best Medicine,” said stress is at the foundation of most negative emotions that we experience.

“And if we are experiencing some negative affective state, being able to recognize humor or outwardly laugh about a subject does a great deal to help minimize that,” he said.

Clifton Saper, lead psychologist and director of clinical services for the Behavioral Medicine Service Line for Ascension Illinois, knows well the relationship between humor and mental health. He's part of a group of psychologists, counselors, social workers and psychiatrists who perform in a comedy improvisation group called The Therapy Players.

“The funny is looking back at yourself and not taking yourself so seriously, and looking at yourself as a regular human being that has foibles and wishes and desires, just like anybody else,” Saper said. “Sort of putting your life and what you've been going through in perspective.”

Despite the benefits, comedy should not serve as a substitute for actual therapy, King said.

Hatkar's routine weaves in aspects of his struggles with sexuality, anxiety and OCD.

“Sometimes the jokes are situational,” he said. “Like, for example, the 'Ozark' thing right? Like you're about to die and your immediate concern is, 'OK, how's this show going to end?' And then the first thing I thought when the episode ended was, 'Oh, what a (bad) episode to go out on.'”

For Hatkar, who has had a couple of trial performances ahead of next month's show, comedy allows him to say things that would be difficult to digest under different circumstances.

“It's lightening the mood for something that's very tough to talk about,” he said, adding that it also shows others they can ease their mental health burdens by talking about them.

His journey that began with an attempt on his own life has taught him valuable lessons about life's possibilities.

“Everyone says the sky is the limit. I disagree. I say the sky is the floor,” he said. “Don't let anybody tell you what you can or can't do.”