VET Tv Pulls Back the Curtain on “Mental HELL and Wellness”
Breaking down the psychological damage of war and combat deployments, VET Tv created a FREE web series that will be available to all in which it brought together renowned mental health professionals from around the country to validate and discuss the science behind the therapeutic effects that dark and irreverent comedy plays in the healing process
CARLSBAD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–VET Tv, the streaming video on demand channel that has consistently pushed the envelope when it comes to dark and irreverent military comedy, announced today that it will be rolling out a brand-new web series on Veteran’s Day entitled “Mental Hell and Wellness.” This new series will be completely FREE and available to all at vetererantv.com.
The dual-prong web series sets out to validate VET Tv’s unwavering mission of “healing through humor,” and to debunk the criticisms of the SVOD provider’s brand of comedy and its role in improving veteran mental health. Mental Hell and Wellness features both one-on-one interviews with renowned mental health professionals from around the country, as well as a breakdown of VET Tv’s most-popular series, “A Grunt’s Life,” with veteran and combat trauma specialist Lauren Rich. Retired Marine Captain, Wounded Warrior and VET Tv Founder, Donny O’Malley, serves as the host.
“There is tangible proof that healing from the trauma of war can be achieved through comedy,” explained O’Malley. “I’ve known that for a long time. It’s why I started VET Tv. But for all the critics out there, we’re now offering proof from some of the top mental health professionals from around the country that there’s so much that can be gained by something as simple as giving a dopamine shot to the brain by making someone laugh.
“And we realize how impactful this web series will be, and that’s why we’re making it available to everyone for free. We want to reach as many veterans and active-duty personnel as possible. This series is simply that important!” O’Malley emphasized.
Top mental health professionals from around the country volunteered their time to speak with O’Malley and participate in Mental Hell and Wellness. They include New York Times best-selling author and Boston-based psychiatrist, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk; veteran and combat trauma specialist from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Lauren Rich; combat stress recovery specialist from the Wounded Warrior Project in Sacramento, John-David del Castillo; University of San Diego Coordinator of the Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Program, Dr. Michael Terry; a licensed clinical psychologist providing therapy for people suffering from insomnia, trauma, depression in San Diego, Dr. Nancy Lin; a psychiatric nurse practitioner from Solana Beach, California, Dr. Holly Bechard, and trauma, depression and anxiety specialist from Alexandria, Virginia, Dr. Abby Cobey.
“What the military leaves out is that they create great soldiers, but when you leave, nobody really helps you to systematically become a member of society,” explained van der Kolk. “Comedy is a great way to open up people’s minds because you show the absurdity of it all.”
“You put me in war to be a savage beast, which you helped train me to be, and then you tell me I’m not okay,” added Rich of why so many veterans struggle with their own mental health when returning from combat deployments.
VET Tv’s Mental Hell and Wellness web series will premiere on Veteran’s Day (Wednesday, Nov. 11) and will be available to everyone FREE of charge at www.veterantv.com.
ABOUT VET Tv: VET Tv, also known as Veteran Television, is a subscription-based streaming video on demand (SVOD) channel that was launched in 2017 by Retired Marine Captain and Wounded Warrior Donny O’Malley. It sets out to recreate, parody and celebrate the military experience for those who served using dark and irreverent comedy to facilitate social connection among post-9/11 veterans. Everything VET Tv does is grounded in the same intention, to use humor and camaraderie to bring veterans together, to heal the mental wounds of war and to prevent veteran suicide. To-date, VET Tv has released 20 original shows and a full-length feature film. It is available online at www.veterantv.com and via streaming apps on Apple, Google Play, Roku and Xbox.
Contacts
Scott Yoffe
scott@yoffecommunications.com