Episode 79: OCD (Part 5): Bridging Mental Health and Comedy [featuring Samuel Silverman]

Divergent Conversations

Balancing vulnerability and authenticity can be challenging, but also deeply rewarding.

In this episode, Patrick Casale and Dr. Megan Anna Neff, two AuDHD mental health professionals, talk with Samuel Silverman, a psychiatrist and stand-up comedian diagnosed with OCD and ADHD, about the intersection of comedy, mental health, and the digital age.

Top 3 reasons to listen to the entire episode:

1. Gain insights into how the blend of personal vulnerability and social critique in comedy helps individuals connect with their audience and understand their own mental health experiences more deeply.
2. Hear Samuel Silverman's unique perspective on balancing a career in psychiatry with a presence on comedy stages and in social media, including the ethical boundaries he maintains while advocating for mental health awareness.
3. Discover practical advice on recognizing and managing OCD, understanding its pervasive nature of doubt, and learning how self-expression can be a cathartic way to handle internal struggles.

As you reflect on this conversation, consider how your own experiences and challenges might be transformed through creative expression and connection. Remember that sharing your journey, setting healthy boundaries, and advocating for understanding can be powerful tools in the mental health landscape.

Note from Samuel:

I was born and raised in Baltimore, MD, in a progressive Jewish family. I went to the same small progressive school that my mother and aunt attended — my grandmother actually taught there while the two of them were in school, and my mother later taught there while my brother and I attended.

When I was 18, I traveled halfway across the country to attend Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. It was there that I met my wife, Kelley Stevens, better known as “The Private Practice Pro.”

I attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed my psychiatry residency training at Loma Linda University. As I was completing my residency, I began to explore the world of stand-up comedy, and started performing throughout Southern California before traveling to other parts of the country to tell jokes, when I’m not too busy seeing patients.

I myself have diagnoses of both OCD and ADHD. More than anything, OCD has colored so much of my experience. Because of this, my symptoms and struggles with this condition provide much of the material for my comedy.

• Instagram: @samsilvermancomedy

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