Headfest: 'I tell jokes about my mental health'

A stand-up comedian who has faced mental health issues including anorexia believes "laughter is the best self-care".

Juliette Burton, from Hertfordshire, wants to help others by talking openly on stage about her experiences.

She was recently diagnosed with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and makes sure her performances are neurodiverse-friendly.

Her show, called Hopepunk, features in Headfest - an event exploring mental health and wellbeing organised by BBC Radio Three Counties Radio.

At 17, Burton was sectioned with anorexia.

She has been in hospital on five occasions with different mental health issues, including obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, and body dysmorphic disorder.

"With all of these labels, there are some I have to deal with on a day-to-day basis, but others I have recovered from.

"It doesn’t mean I’m ill and unable to function, it means I am learning from my mental health problems.

"It also allows me to see what might need to change in society to help others," she said.

Burton said comedy was a great outlet for people with mental health challenges.

"Most of my mental health experiences have marginalised me.

"It’s why I’m so comfortable doing comedy, because it doesn’t require consistency and I adore my audiences. I might create the show, but they make the show.

"I’ve been in therapy for more than 20 years and I love talking about it in my comedy.

"Comedy breaks down barriers and increases understanding."

Burton said she believed her mental health issues "were a symptom of deeper issues".

"I don’t think of them as a weakness, but the way my mind showed resilience in coping with other things happening in my life," she said.

She will be bringing Hopepunk to The Quarry Theatre, Bedford, on 22 October, after four sell-out seasons at the Edinburgh Fringe.

"Comedy is community, and the solution to good mental health is community, so being part of Headfest makes sense to me.

"I want the audience to feel safe and have a good time.

"My shows are funny first, maybe thought-provoking second, but I want people to laugh their way through it.

"That’s the most important thing. Laughter is the best self-care," she added.

Headfest is at The Quarry Theatre on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 October. More information is available on the theatre's website.

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