Standup comedians often use the stage to square up to their demons. They’ve let their guard down and spoken about deeply personal struggles including identity, anxiety, depression and addiction with candour and vulnerability. These moments hit home for a lot of us fighting our own battles, giving us a way to articulate precisely what may be going through or being able to empathise with what people around us might be grappling with.

For World Mental Health Day and, well, every other day, here are some recommendations of the standup comedy specials that we think brilliantly bring mental health issues into focus. Because sometimes it helps to know it happens to the best of us, our favourite comedians included. Except that they know how to turn their trauma into something for everyone to think about, while… laughing about it (a coping mechanism you may be familiar with). Pick one you find interesting (or resonates most closely with what you’re going through) and hit play. You might come away with new perspective and insights, and you’ll definitely have a hearty laugh even as the existential dread sets in. In no particular order:

1. Bo Burnham – Inside

During the devastating COVID-19 lockdowns, everyone’s mental health was at an “ATL (all-time low)”, in Bo Burnham’s words. Through Inside, he found a crafty way to take the collective trauma and dump it into a masterpiece.

Release Date: 2021
Where can I watch it: Netflix

2. Daniel Fernandes – Shadows

Daniel Fernandes turns the lens on himself and dedicates the longest section of his first special Shadows to his mental health. He opens by telling the audience that he was diagnosed with anxiety disorder, and spends the next 30 or so minutes dissecting the experience closely.

Release Date: 2019
Where can I watch it: YouTube (Free!)

Neal Brennan – Blocks

Halfway into his Netflix special Blocks, when Neal Brennan is sure you’ve eased in, he starts to put down metaphorical blocks to reveal a traumedic second half with a recurring theme: “something’s wrong with me”. 

Release Date: 2022
Where can I watch it: Netflix

Taylor Tomlinson – Look At You

Right after the success of her special Quarter Life Crisis, Taylor Tomlinson made a comeback with Look At You in which she takes an intimate look at her struggles with mental health and trauma and puts her therapeutic journey on display.

Release Date: 2022
Where can I watch it: Netflix

Gary Gulman – The Great Depresh

Gary Gulman tackles the topic of mental health in a way that is both entertaining and poignant in his HBO special The Great Despresh. The comedian digs deep, as he talks about his own mental health journey while going deep into his battle with depression.

Release Date: 2019
Where can I watch it: HBO

Abhishek Upmanyu – Jealous of Sabziwaala

Abhishek Upmanyu’s debut special Jealous of Sabziwaala is a great addition to the growing sub-genre of comedians talking about their mental health. In this one, he talks about his issues with health-related anxiety, which culminates into a therapy session where the comedian calls his father on the phone from the therapist’s couch.

Release Date: 2023
Where can I watch it: YouTube (Free!)

PATTON OSWALT – ANNIHILATION

Annihilation—easily one of Patton Oswalt’s best specials, and definitely his most personal—was the first hour the comedian released after the sudden passing of his wife Michelle McNamara. Oswalt is vulnerable and candid about how he coped with this life-altering personal tragedy. A hard watch but worth the heartbreaking laughs, and those dealing with their own losses might do well to hear the comedian’s on-stage catharsis.

Release Date: 2017
Where can I watch it: Netflix

Maria Bamford – Old Baby

Maria Bamford’s Netflix special Old Baby is absurd and idiosyncratic. If you aren’t familiar with her previous work, this could be tough to stomach. It could also be a circus-style introduction to the way this comedian sees the world. Bamford addresses her own mental health issues while performing to several distinctly different crowds, on different stages and in different scenarios. A whirlwind!

Release Date: 2017
Where can I watch it: Netflix