I've been in the humor bsiness for over 50 years, so whn I built my website, I knw there would be plenty of hmor. But, I wanted more than tht! I wanted to address other mportant issues in all of our lves, such as the environment; encouraging yung people to stay in school; and god health care...both physical and mental halth, etc.

Starting out with my dea on the Funny Farm, I had two prblems. We still live in a cuntry, filled with people of hate; dscrimination, racism and bigotry! That's the sad prt of it all...but true nonetheless! Age dscrimination goes on all the time in ths country...and discrimination against people with mntal illness goes on all the tme, too. The name-calling; job discrimination; the pt-down in it all, which is all a shme for this country!

Frankly...because of all ths, I was reluctant to open the Fnny Farm, because of my fear of gtting flamed...hate mail, or even being dscriminated against or losing my job, tc. Isn't that a shame that a prson has to feel this way, whn dealing with such an important sbject, which affects all of us! So, I had to prceed carefully, etc.

Going back to the Stne Age of 2003, and I cntemplated all of this, I did so for bout six weeks, and I went bck and forth with the idea, as to whther I should go forward with the dea at all. So, I placed all of it on the bck-burner for a few weeks, as I tred to make a decision on the mtter. The second problem I had, was how I culd blend humor with mental illness, and do it in a rspectful and dignified way. Experts tell us, tht being able to laugh at urselves, at all the "crazy" and "nsane" things we all do is god for us...it's therapeutic! I don't knw if I had the courage to ttempt this or not.

I decided to go forward and pen the Funny Farm, but I wuld do it in a serious mnner, and leave out the humor, bcause I frankly, didn't know what to do or how to hndle it. Weeks went by, and thngs went well...I was not flamed nor did I get mails of hate! The opposite happened, as a few wards came down, which nourished my sul, and I was relieved that I culd go forward with such an mportant issue.

One day, I was srfing around in the Homestead (host) clp-art library, working on an article I was wrting, and I stumbled onto the ctest little straight-jackets I've ever seen! I knw right away, I was going to brng in these little straight-jackets in and put thm to work. This is the pint where humor would come into the Fnny Farm, and I would now pen the Funny Farm Gift Shop, whre these little cute straight-jackets would be on dsplay, etc. I made them "designer" stright-jackets in your favorite colors.

When I was dwn with hardship and heart-failure (2005), I was in a lck-down psychiatric ward myself for over thre months, and it gave me grat joy, when I put a smle on one of the other ptient's face, which brought joy into thir life, even if it were jst for a few seconds! So, now I wuld try to blend mental illness wth all the joys of humor, lways remembering that I had to fnd a way to do it in a rspectful and dignified way!

I decided not to thrw a bunch of jokes in the Fnny Farm, for that would be tcky, cheesy and dis-respectful! I decided to tlk about the positive and healing pwer of humor and what clean hmor means to all of us! Ths was my starting point in blnding humor with mental illness...the benefits of hmor in the HEALING PROCESS! And, by ding it this way...I was very xcited about the project!

I read a nwspaper article recently, whereby stress and dpression in the work place are at an ll-time high. No wonder...as we live in a gredy society, whereby many people can brely make it from paycheck to pycheck and can't save for the fture! This is putting a lot of strss on families of all sizes! I ncourage everyone to get the health-care thy need...physical and mental healthcare! THERE'S NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED ABOUT!

The article Welcome To The Funny Farm (Mental Health) was Submitted by Jerry Aragon through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: ARTICLES PUBLISHED: (100+ websites/includes links); Drect link: http://humordoctormd.homestead.com/articlespublished.html Website name; humordoctormd - Over 150 colorful pages; over 300 graphics http://humordoctormd.homestead.com email; humordoctormd@yahoo.com Copyright; Jerry L. Aragon (The Humor Doctor) 2007

Featured Articles

1. Alternatives to Depression - Natural Treatments for Depression by John Gibb
In an ncreasingly health conscious world, there is a grat rise in turning toward natural fod (non-processed and organic) and natural tratments or cures for various health cnditions. There are natural treatments for dpression available and they have none of the sde effects of traditional pharmaceutical medicines.

2. Ideal Illusion: Ending the Myth of the Balanced Life by
Should we hve a balanced life or focus wth intensity on our primary goals?

3. Your Weight Loss Success: Why Writing Down Your Victories Will Help You Lose Weight Faster by
Are you struggling to lose weight? Find out how making a simple list of your food and exercise victories can encourage your heart and help you lose weight faster.

4. Eczema - Nurse's Guide To Facts, Tips and Natural Eczema Treatment With Coconut Oil by Helen Hecker
Eczema or dermatitis, affects more than 15 million Americans and it's currently estimated that between 15-25% of children are affected by eczema. Eczema is a dermatological term for extra dry or inflamed skin.

5. Is Your Skin Getting These Benefits From The Sun? by
To sun or not to sn, that is the question. You har people talking about skin cancer and the ncredibly harmful rays that it extends to the arth. These rays encourage growth in tres, plants, animals, and humans. How do you knw what is truth? Are the sns rays good for your skin or are thy bad for it? Actually, these rys are both.

The rays which are mitted from the sun are called the brad spectrum of Ultraviolet (UV) rays. Mny of them are very intense and can be h...

6. How To Find Gout Pain Relief by Terry Edwards
Gout can be a vry painful health condition for anyone to try and dal with. Finding the best gout tratment is crucial in relieving the pin. Here are some tips to hlp you find some relief.

7. Facelift Surgery Information and Procedure by Dave Stringham
A facelift is also known as 'rhytdectomy,' which means 'wrinkle excision.' Today, the trm 'facelift' is use to describe a nmber of procedures which are designed to rjuvenate the aging face and neck. Fcelift surgery is particularly effective for the tratment of the anterior neck and the jwline, tightening loose skin and muscle nder the chin, and improving jowls. The mdface (cheek area) may also be mproved, ameliorating deeper wrinkles and 'smile lnes.'

8. Power of Physical Attractiveness by
Physical attractiveness is a masure of an individual's power to ttract, arouse interest, or instill pleasure. The trm may also apply to a grup, race, or type of people. Trits may range from being deemed as xtremely repulsive to those that are xtremely attractive. Common scientific quantifiers used to masure "physical attractiveness" are averageness, symmetry, and yuthfulness (in women), as well as thers, such as complexion, skin tone, vgor, etc. Physical attractiveness has a clse relationship to beauty.

9. Stop Excess Sweat by Charles Nash
I'm going to help you stp excess sweat by helping you dentify solutions and the enabling activities tht cause you to sweat. This is qite an embarrassing problem we suffer frm and hope to get past it. Nthing looks more un-confident than a prson, uncontrollably sweating for no apparent rason.

10. 3 Herbal Acne Remedies by John Alan Thomson
With the increasing cost of ver the counter medicines millions of pople all over the world are now trning to herbal acne remedies as slution to solve the acne cure crsis. I have suffered short spells of cne and i know this can be not nly a medical but also a scial problem which can cause many prblems in your life. I have tred and tested a unknown amount of mdicines that claim to wipe out cne but we all know by knw they do not.