John Shuchart jokes about mental health

John Shuchart found a way to overcome his mental health disorder – by laughing at it.

Shuchart spoke to a crowd of 100 at the Newman University DeMattias Fine Arts Center on Oct. 4 to tell a story about his battle with mental depression. The event was followed by a candlelit prayer circle.

Oliver Morrison from the Wichita Eagle writes:

A few years ago, Shuchart learned that the reportedly most painless way to die was by carbon monoxide poisoning, but he didn’t want to do it at home. So he went looking for a storage facility he could park his car in, and found a great deal.

But he had to pick up his prescription first and then forgot where the storage facility was located. He started researching storage lockers on the Internet and found some offered great deals: “The first month free with a lease of two years.”

He called his friend Eric and told him he needed help deciding which storage facility to lease in which to commit suicide.

Eric dropped the phone and came right over.

Eric told Shuchart that shopping for a storage facility to commit suicide in was ridiculous; Shuchart could use Eric’s garage. “Now that’s a true friend,” Shuchart said.

Eric also asked Shuchart what he was going to eat for his last meal. Shuchart didn’t know but thought maybe a medium blizzard with pecans at Dairy Queen.

“Why a medium?” Eric asked him. “Why not a large?”

Shuchart was stumped and started laughing. He felt better.

The endorphins kicked in, he said, which helped counteract the physical causes of his depression. Shuchart told Eric some more stories, including the time his 12-year-old ran over him with a lawnmower, which eventually led Shuchart to put the stories in a book.