**Comedy on Prescription: A New Approach to Mental Health**
Trials are currently being conducted to determine if “comedy on prescription” can enhance mental health and lower NHS expenses by serving as an alternative to antidepressants. Craic Health has obtained funding for a program that utilizes stand-up performances and workshops to assist individuals who are isolated, lonely, and vulnerable. This initiative aims to foster collaboration between the government, the comedy sector, communities, and organizations to implement comedy-based social prescriptions, with the hope that the health service can adopt them more broadly.
The project is backed by Stroud MP Dr. Simon Opher, who has been a pioneer of social prescriptions in Gloucestershire. In a parliamentary address, he highlighted the issue of “the pandemic of over-prescription” and emphasized that “making people laugh can reduce the need for medication.” Dr. Opher stated, “I have specialized in using the arts to improve people’s well-being, whether through poetry, visual arts, or drama. I’ve even prescribed gardening and allotments to individuals. However, this is the first time we are exploring comedy, which is particularly exciting.”
According to NHS data, 8.7 million people in England were prescribed antidepressants in 2023/24, marking a 2.1% increase from the previous year. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines recommend that these medications should not be routinely offered as the first treatment for mild depression unless preferred by the individual. Dr. Opher noted, “One in five adults are on antidepressants, largely due to the lack of alternative treatments.”
Lu Jackson, the founder of Craic, explained that comedy acts as a “cortisol decreaser, dopamine producer, and a powerful releaser of serotonin, endorphins, and beneficial neuropeptides.” She added, “Attending a single comedy workshop or event, or having a comedian teach children to improvise and laugh at themselves, can have a positive effect for 24 hours. Surely, that’s a better option than prescribing antidepressants.”
The initiative has received a grant from the One Westminster charity, and Westminster libraries have offered their facilities for the initial events.
