SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Laughter is something longtime comedian Brad Bonar is all about, but it’s his ability to discuss his struggles with suicide and depression and combine it with comedy, he said, that has been life changing for him and those he helps.
“Who better than comedians to talk about something nobody will talk about?” Bonar said. “We have no boundaries. There’s not a topic, crack, crevice, part of the body you can think of, that comics haven’t done a routine about.”
Bonar now runs the 1 Degree of Separation program, created in consultation with mental health experts, that equips people with tools to discuss a subject so many shy away from.
The program uses a comedy portion and then an open discussion with the comedians about their mental health issues, guided by five questions.
The program’s effectiveness using comedy to address mental health is now being used by the military.
Something that means a lot to Bonar, who has many close friends who have served.
“Most of the military events we do, we count as their annual suicide prevention training,” Bonar said. “So, they’re looking at this as real training. It’s not just a novelty or cute thing that we’re using comedians, this is real training. You leave with a skill and an ability to have a conversation that you didn’t have before you went in there.”
Bonar said they’ve visited over 100 bases and veterans’ groups, including sites in San Diego and Northern California.
And the impacts Bonar said, has been surreal and heartwarming.
“We’ve had Marines literally at the end of our show walk over to Fleet and Family Services, which is their mental health services, and say, ‘that’s me, I need help,’ and literally escorted to a hospital,” Bonar said.
Mental-health diagnoses among active-duty service members have jumped nearly 40% in the past five years, according to the Department of Health Agency.
In 2023, mental health disorders accounted for the most hospital bed days among active-duty service members.
Death among veterans is often linked to mental health, said San Diego VA psychiatrist Dr. Eric Rafla-Yuan.
“One of the leading causes of death for both male and female veterans between the ages of 18 and 44 is suicide,” Rafla-Yuan said. “So, depending on the year, that’s either the highest cause of death for veterans in that age category or second highest.”
Humor and comedy, he said, are also becoming a more recognized tool to approach mental health topics.
“There have been a number of studies, both in the United States and internationally, looking at how comedy can be used as a supporting piece in a mental health treatment plan or as an intervention all by itself,” Rafla-Yuan said.
Many veterans don’t seek help, Rafla-Yuan said, and it’s often thought veterans must be fully enrolled in benefits to receive care at a VA center for mental health.
He said that’s not the case; any veteran, no matter if they are or are not enrolled, can receive mental health care at a VA facility.
Bonar said his program is not just for people who suffer.
“If you don’t struggle, this show is just as powerful for you because you’re going to see what depression looks like and feels like, what makes it worse, what makes it better,” Bonar said. “And you’re going to get the tools to be able to have a conversation with somebody.”
And he said talking about it is the first step, and that’s why he’ll continue to help those who serve.