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Can a Clown be a Doctor?

Tanvi Bansal

Have we ever wondered if a clown can act as a catalyst to heal pain, suffering or anxiety? When we think of going to a doctor for treatment of illnesses, we can think of a typical setting where a doctor examines a patient, prescribes medicines or operates if required. What if we add a touch of treating emotional and mental health? To build on this idea, the movie; Patch Adam states  “You treat a disease: you win, you lose. You treat a person; I guarantee you win- no matter the outcome”(Shadyac 1998) Hence, this paper aims to understand the importance of treating psychological health of patients suffering from various biological ailments.  This will be apprehended by analysing the use of “humor and laughter” used by Doctor Patch Adam in the movie. 

In this true to life movie, Doctor Adam is a suicidal man who admits himself to a psychiatric hospital. There he gets treated, by not the help of doctors but by the bond he creates with other patients. It was thus a turning point in his life when he discovers his urge “to help people.” Thereafter, he attempts to cure patients using laughter and scatological humor. He clowns around for his patients in order to know them personally. 

In reference to this, once, Patch entered a ward in the hospital where there were kids with various illnesses. He evoked humor by clowning around, making funny faces and actions, imitating like a bee. In less than a minute, all the kids busted laughing. Therefore,the act of laughing stimulates hormones called catecholamines, which in turn releases the happy juice hormone called endorphin. With endorphins surging through the bloodstream, it creates a feeling of happiness and relaxation. (Edmonds 2018) Such a good hearty laughter relives you from stress and anxiety and boosts the immune system of a body. Additionally, studies show increased connectivity in various parts of the brain in response to laughter, which further supports existing neurons and encourages the growth of new neurons and synapses. (Khajuria2018) 

Pertaining to the aforementioned effects of laughter, it can be articulated that patients become better prepared to fight the diseases they are going through. It also reduces the tension in the atmosphere of a hospital that is surrounded by sick people. With this, hospitals should not merely be settings of medical care centers but a place that also caters to patients on a personal level, which involves sincerity, love, compassion and empathy for the patient. Consequently, laughter and humor therapies cannot take the place of medical treatments (prescriptions and operations) but evidences show that chuckles of laughter can help along the road of recovery.

In the wake of modern psychology, the use of humor in psychotherapy is important. It is a unique field that performs Humor related therapies in clinical practice. Based on this, plethora of therapeutic approaches has been developed. 
Firstly, medical clowning is a widespread process and is used in thousands of hospitals worldwide to alleviate the process of curing serious mental illnesses. Clowns have been associated with the well being of society and the healing arts. Various therapeutic techniques have been used (like clown doctors, therapeutic clowns, therapeutic play) for promoting supportive relationship and opportunity to play with kids and adults (Gelkopf 2011). 
Secondly, Stand up for mental health, it stand up comedy by trained clinicians and not comedians to create humor and evoke laughter (Gelkopf 2011). Through this process, when jokes are shared with groups of people, it collectively elicits laughter among all the people together, which reduces stress and stressors in mental health. 

In light of this, even though humor and laughter therapies have been advocated with other conventional therapies, there are lack of studies that asses the actual potential of humor in mental health disorders. Furthermore, just like in the movie, Patch made a house called “Geshundheit” where treatment focused on happiness and mental health of the patient along with the medical treatment of the disease. Today, even we need such hospitals where Humor and laughter are back into the clinical practices. In the end, laughter and humor are essential to alleviate our mood; they are best ways to release endorphins. 


References

Edmonds, M. (2018, June 28). What is laughter therapy? https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/laughter-therapy2.htm.

Gelkopf, M. (2011). The use of humor in serious mental illness: a review. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2011.

Khajuria, K. (2018, August 17). Laughter Is the Best Medicine. https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/cultural-psychiatry/laughter-best-medicine.

Shadyac Tom (1998). Patch Adams, United states of America:Studio










 

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