Dad on Pills: Fatherhood and Mental Illness

Laughing not to cry isn’t just a survival mechanism for Chris Gethard; it’s his default mode. As one of the untold millions who suffer from terrifyingly unpredictable brain chemistry—and the need to rein it in by pharmacological means—the celebrated comedian knows what it’s like to struggle with mental illness. He also knows mental health disorders can be inherited, a fact that, unfortunately, didn’t help things much when he became a father.

A poignant and hilarious meditation on the wild ride that is a life medicated, Dad on Pills chronicles the perpetual wrestling match of parenthood and partnership while refusing to shy away from the terrible loneliness at the bottom of “having a brain that doesn’t always work so good.” From the comic absurdity and unexpected dread of a birthing class to the sometimes fraught—for this father, at least—utterances of his toddler son, this tragicomic memoir explores Gethard’s own upbringing, as well as his mental illness and its repercussions. “I spend so much time as a parent quietly praying,” writes Gethard. “Praying that my son, my child, this beautiful boy with his big goofy grin, doesn’t feel this thing I have felt so often in my life. The depression, the manic moments, the dangerous instincts.”

But something magical happens along the way: Gethard devises a plan for always being a good and loving father no matter what vicissitudes of biochemistry his kid experiences. Resonating with honesty and vulnerability, shining much-needed light on the very real affliction of mental illness, Dad on Pills is striking in how it challenges us to be ever more humane and understanding while also constantly sucker-punching us with much hard-earned humor.