Comedian finds humor in his bid to survive

Brian Wetzel was a successful stand-up comedian whose career and personal life were absorbed by his struggle with clinical depression, a struggle that left him on the brink of suicide through his young adult years.

“There is nothing funny about being severely depressed, but I had to find humor in my situation in order to stay alive and survive,” said Wetzel, 46, of Santa Rosa.

With that, he began to write an autobiographical, one-man show about his 20-year struggle with depression that has since become the focus of his performances across the United States.

“My shows and speeches are important because there are too many people in this world who are really hurting emotionally, and they, in turn, hurt themselves or take the ultimate step and take their lives,” he told the Ventura County Star. “It’s important for people to know there is help, but they have to be encouraged to not only muster up the courage and energy to ask for help, but to take the help, too.

“That’s what I hope my work will do for people: entertain them, and help them at the same time,” he told the newspaper.

At noon on April 5, Wetzel will present “That Voice in the Wilderness is Laughing” at the Black Box Cabaret on the campus of Cal State University, Monterey Bay. The public is invited to this free event. The Black Box Cabaret is located near the intersection of Inter-Garrison Road and Fourth Avenue. A campus map can be downloaded at csumb.edu/map.

A repeat performance will be held at 8 p.m. for students only.

His appearance is part of the university’s observance of Suicide Prevention and Awareness Week.

Wetzel’s presentation will cover the many factors that contribute to clinical depression and the complex issues that surround living with and managing this disorder, said Gary Rodriguez, prevention specialist with the campus Personal Growth and Counseling Center.

“He shares his experience and offers hope for himself and others as someone who has learned to live with, and manage, his condition,” Rodriguez said.

Humor is a way to bring depression to the table in a new way because the subject is something no one wants to talk about, Wetzel said. “My presentation is peppered with humor, including the top five things not to say to someone with depression. My audiences can learn more about this tough subject and they can laugh at the same time,” he told the Star.

Everyone really got a lot out of the presentation . . . I believe those who have not been clinically depressed got empathy, those who treat the depressed got understanding and ideas about treatment and those who suffer from it got validation and a feeling that they are understood and not alone. – Donnovan Somera Yisrael, health education specialist, Stanford University