Funny Face needs support, not judgement - Clinical Psychologist

Clinical psychologist and spokesperson for the Ghana Psychological Association, Dr. Isaac Newman Arthur has urged the public to show compassion towards comedian Funny Face in light of the troubles surrounding his mental issues.

According to him, Funny Face's recovery could be hindered by harsh judgement from the public.

According to graphic.com.gh, Dr. Arthur, in a recent interview, stressed that everyone, irrespective of their spiritual beliefs or wealth, is susceptible to mental health challenges.

“Nobody is immune to mental health issues, it doesn’t matter whether you are spiritual or you have money or not. And the truth is that our society doesn’t listen to the cries of people until something comes up.

“It’s not easy at all for your issue to be out for people to say what they want. And I think as a community, we need to be careful and more graceful with our words particularly, in the case of Funny Face,” he said.

Dr. Arthur also pointed out that the pressure many celebrities face due to the constant scrutiny and expectations from fans and the media can lead to anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions.

"Truthfully, the lifestyles of celebrities create problems in terms of the expectations of people. The demands of the job itself and trying to stay relevant to be able to do well and maintain a certain craft comes with many stresses.

“Then again, there is anxiety about expectations and performance. Also, you lose your privacy because everything you do is in the media.”

He added “All those things have a way of making the condition of stars going through mental challenges get worse than the ordinary person. The response of the masses and all the negativity can also influence your mental well-being."

Dr Arthur suggested that celebrities like Funny Face need to practice self-care and possibly delegate social media management to others to maintain their mental health.

“People can insult and say all kinds of things when some of the things they say aren’t even true. Dealing with all the negativity that comes from the masses affects you because you are human.

“If you are a star, you first need to be aware of your problems and adopt a healthy lifestyle that helps you build mental resilience daily, including letting people handle your social media pages, to avoid the trolls and hurtful words,” he said.

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