Anti-depressants, talking therapies, tranquilizers, psychological intervention are all the norm in seeking to treat mental ill health...ever tried psychopharmacology?
One in three of us are likely to experience mental ill health at some stage in our lives, but what can you do when all else fails?
Adam Strauss has obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Or more precisely, had OCD.
In his comedic monologue Adam describes the symptoms that many of us will all be too familiar with. Indecision, procrastination, opinion forming based on irrational fears or failure and rejection; do it once, twice, three times or more...its got to be perfect!
The sheer frustration experienced by Adam and others with the condition is felt through the intensity of his performance as he paces, changes chair, lays on the floor and relays the story.
As he opens up to the Audience you can feel the energy in his voice, courageously recounting his experience as his story (and it is a tale to be told) simply explodes out of him as if a champagne cork had popped.
The use of comedy, as opposed to theatre or spoken word, as the medium to deliver this tale also manages to relax the audience. Its difficult not to find it funny. You are left thinking am I allowed to laugh at the man who buys eleven of the same shirts, two different branded MP3 player - just to test the sound, who pays his Therapist in sleeping tablets and finds companionship in a Girl who boils up cactus in a carefully chosen Lobster Pot?
The show generates laughs as it does inspire; whatever your motive for wanting to see "the Mushroom Cure" its far from conventional it its approach to taking on a debilitating condition such as OCD.
Its rare to see such openness about the personal life of someone with a mental health problem. This is why Adam deserves the credit for tackling the taboo.
The Show is not so much about curing OCD through Magic Mushrooms, nor does Adam advocate taking his phallic fungi as your own personal cure - that's not really the point. Its about a unique journey in finding acceptance in who you are and recognizing that no matter how hard you try you cannot control the world around you.
The Mushroom Cure is on at the Underbelly in Cowgate at 15.50. You can book tickets online via the Edinburgh Fringe website.
To find out more about Adam's show, visit: http://adamstrauss.com/
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