Study Reveals Comedy, AI, and Self-Care Can Quickly Boost Patient Mental Health

Dramatic Reduction in Depression, Stress, and Anxiety Reported

NEW YORK and WASHINGTON and PALO ALTO, Calif. and TENAFLY, N.J., May 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — “In just eight weeks during the pandemic, women living with advanced cancer, ages 31 to 74, reported feeling more empowered, and less depressed, stressed, and anxious while using artificial intelligence to create personalized self-care plans infused with comedy and other relaxation techniques,” explains Mindset and Metastatic Cancer Research Study Co-Investigator Saranne Rothberg of The ComedyCures Foundation who beat stage IV cancer two decades ago. She is still cancer-free. 

IMPORTANT STUDY FINDINGS:

• Depression Decreased 18.1%: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
• Perceived Stress Decreased 15.1%: Perceived Stress Scale-10
• Anxiety Decreased 9.7%: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
• Self-Efficacy Increased 7.6%: New General Self-Efficacy Scale

Assessments: Baseline, Four and Eight Weeks

The pilot study is the brainchild of Rothberg, and it was conducted by The ComedyCures Foundation in collaboration with the mental health platform Neolth, with funding from The Willow Foundation.

“All 31 patients enrolled at the midway point completed this unpaid study. This retention rate is remarkable because the women were dealing with life-threatening metastasis, chemo, relationship and/or financial issues during the pandemic,” confirmed Dr. Claire Wheeler, Study Co-Investigator, Integrative MD, Psychologist with expertise in Stress Management and Neolth’s CMO. 

Participants were offered many relaxation tools, including 17 fun mindset videos created by Rothberg: “Stressbuster Rock Opera”, “They Said What?!”, “Comedians in the OR”, “Humor Buddies”. ComedyCures comedians Michele Balan, Karen Bergreen, Wali Collins, Sherry Davey, Zarna Garg, and Marc Theobald performed live. 

Cancer survivor and Willow Foundation founder Leah Evert beamed, “Women from 10 countries and 24 states signed-up. We’re honored that The American Association for Cancer Research’s “Leading Discoveries” publication acknowledged The Mindset and Metastatic Cancer Study as “innovative and exciting.”

Neuroscientist, Co-Investigator and Neolth’s Founder Dr. Katherine Grill summarized, “The results suggest delivering therapeutic comedy and other relaxation strategies, remotely, present a scalable approach to supporting mental health in a quick, affordable way, with few time constraints.”

Rothberg concluded, “I hope these findings ignite more collaborations and funding for our unique healthcare solutions.” ComedyCures will be launching a new study and podcast with the public’s continued support.

COMEDYCURES FOUNDATION
501(C)3 non-profit that entertains and educates patients, caregivers, and frontline workers. Donations are tax-deductible. https://www.ComedyCures.org @ComedyCures

NEOLTH
https://www.Neolth.com @Neolth

WILLOW FOUNDATION 
https://www.willow.foundation/goals

SARANNE ROTHBERG
https://www.saranne.com @sarannelive 

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SOURCE The ComedyCures Foundation