A Reminder On Mental Health
- Comedian and lung cancer survivor Kathy Griffin, who previously dealt with an addictions to pills, suicidal thoughts, and lung cancer, isn’t letting her past struggles prevent her from turning to humor—something she lives for.
- Griffin, who was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer in 2021 and declared “cancer-free” after surgery, has become a mental health advocate and an inspiration to anyone needing to get through adversity with a little bit of laughter.
- Complex PTSD, which Griffin has been open about suffering from, can result from experiencing chronic (long-term) trauma and can lead to anxiety, nightmares, and heightened emotional responses.
- Genetic testing can help determine the best course of mental health treatment for people struggling with issues like anxiety and depression. This testing help doctors gauge which medications are likely to work for their patients and cause the least amount of problematic side effects.
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration says if you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Just call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
Speaking to PhillyVoice in a recent interview, the Illinois-born celebrity recounted the backlash she received after sharing a satirical image of her depicted with Donald Trump—admitting she was “confronted” everywhere she went, which led to anxiety and a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event.
Read MoreThe difficult time led her to turn to prescription pills, which led to her addiction and thoughts of taking her own life.View this post on Instagram
Griffin—who was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer in 2021, declared “cancer-free” after surgery, and is now a mental health advocate—is now on her “My Life on the PTSD List” stand-up tour, and we’re delighted she’s able to maintain laughter through adversity.
She told PhillyVoice in a recent phone interview, “I became addicted to prescription pills, which is kind of funny, because who the f*** becomes a junkie at 57?”
Expert Mental Health Resources
Griffin continued, referring to her mental health struggles, “I’m not making fun of suicidal ideation. I’m just trying to say to the audience, ‘I’ve been there. I get it. I know I’m not alone. I hear you. I see you.’
“And, of course, I make it funny, because it was silly, and you’ve got to laugh or else you’re crying.”
Griffin, who has been on tour across the U.S. since September of last year, will close out her live tour with two New York shows later this month.
View this post on Instagram
Griffin also praised her career as her “lifeline,” saying that despite any stresses or anxiety she might experience amid working or touring, she continues to power through.
She added, “Luckily, my muscle memory has never made me miss a show, because I’ve been doing it for so long. My body just starts to go, ‘Just start to put the makeup on, Kathy. Put on the fake eyelashes. Start curling your hair. Put on your little hair piece.’
“And the weirdest thing is, once my Doc Martens hit that stage, I swear to God, I can breathe. This relaxation comes over me.”
Kathy Griffin’s Cancer Battle
In 2021, after Griffin was diagnosed with lung cancer, she took her journey public and has been transparent about her experience. A non-smoker, she was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer, indicating that the disease hadn’t spread to her lymph nodes or any other organs in the body.
The comic revealed her stage 1 lung cancer diagnosis via social media in Aug. 2021. Thankfully, the cancer seemed to be contained to one part of her lung, so she underwent surgery to have half of her left lung removed shortly after sharing the news.
She then revealed she was cancer-free in December 2021, but she still had a lot of recovering to do. After the surgery, her voice was temporarily altered by an intubation tube giving her a “Minnie Mouse meets Marilyn Monroe” type of voice.
After sharing that her six-month check up scans were clear in February 2022, she later told fans she was concerned about the way that her doctor handled her initial treatments.
Griffin has since been seen by a doctor who made her feel heard (something our experts recommend if you feel your concerned aren’t being addressed appropriately), and she continues to make strides in her recovery.
It’s unclear exactly what procedure she had done, but a post from December 2022 revealed Griffin was having another surgery to address her voice.
Taking Care of Your Mental Health
Taking care of your mental health is of the utmost importance, but it’s not always easy. One place to start is to be aware of the following signs that there may be something affecting your mind:
- A change in eating or sleeping habits
- Losing interest in people or usual activities
- Experiencing little or no energy
- Numb and/or hopeless feelings
- Turning to drinking or drugs more than usual
- Non-typical angry, upset or on-edge feelings
- Yelling/fighting with loved ones
- Experiencing mood swings
- Intrusive thoughts
- Trouble getting through daily tasks
Symptoms of a mental health disease or issue can vary from person to person, so it’s always crucial to promptly speak with a healthcare provider if you’re experiencing any changes to your physical or mental health. There are many treatment options available and many different healthy ways to help you cope.
How to Be Realistically Optimistic: Coping With Mental Health Long-Term
One such option is therapy. In a previous conversation with SurvivorNet, ovarian cancer survivor Ni Guttenfelder talked about how finding the right counselor helped her process the feelings that came after her diagnosis.
“One of the things that my counselor has taught me from the very beginning that has helped me is the concept of acceptance,” she says. “Acceptance is a process. It’s like downloading a computer file in increments. Visualizing it in that way has really helped me.”
In addition to therapy, meditation and practicing mindfulness can also be used to cope with a mental health struggle. Dr. Deepak Chopra, acclaimed author and pioneer of mindfulness movement, spoke with SurvivorNet about how asking yourself who you really are is the first step down the path to practicing mindfulness.
“If we can combine our actions in the world with reflective self inquiry, love and compassion, and a state of secure, stable, ornamental, peaceful being without the addictions that humans have, then we can begin our journey of healing,” Dr. Chopra explained.
Medicating isn’t the right choice for everyone when it comes to addressing a mental health issue, but there should be no shame in turning to medication when you need it. That being said, it can be hard to find the right one. These days, however, there is a form of genetic testing that has shown the ability to match people with the best medication for mental health treatment.
We’ve seen genetic testing used for treatment plans for other diseases, such as certain types of cancer, but the ability to use it to help people who are suffering from things like anxiety and depression is relatively new.
How Can Genetic Testing Help Determine the Right Form of Mental Health Treatment?
“Doing the genetic testing has absolutely transformed the landscape of psycho-pharmacology,” psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik told SurvivorNet. “It’s something that I highly recommend for anybody that is taking medication, whether they are being treated for cancer, or not … I recommend it for children who are taking medication. I recommend it for elderly people. Anybody who is taking medication, I think, can greatly benefit from genetic testing.”
Genetic testing can give a profile of how a person is likely to respond to different types of psychiatric medications, Dr. Plutchik explained. Testing is also available to create a profile of how patients will likely respond to different sorts of pain medications, which can be really beneficial for those going through some other sort of health issue.
Genetic testing “gives me information about which medications are likely to work without having problematic side effects. It also gives information about interactions between any of the psych medications that we choose,” and other medications a patient may be taking, Dr. Plutchik said.
The genetic test that Dr. Plutchik was discussing, Genomind, looks at multiple factors before determining which treatment is likely to have successful results and minimal side-effects. The test examines certain genes that are associated with responses to medications commonly prescribed for mental health issues and then looks into the patient’s ability to metabolize medication.
If you’re considering going on medication for mental health treatment, consider asking your doctor if genetic testing might be helpful for you.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
If you are not feeling your usual self and are facing a diagnosis or some other traumatic event, you should consider contacting your doctor to see if your mental health needs a boost.
- Should I consider going on medication to help with mental health struggles?
- Would genetic testing help determine the best treatment for me?
- What is the likelihood that the test will recommend the proper treatment?
- What can we do if I don’t succeed with the recommended treatment?
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
