Kathy Griffin Asks TikTok for Advice on How to Handle Her PTSD

It’s no joke: Kathy Griffin’s myriad health struggles continue, and once again, the comedian is turning to her social media fans and followers for answers. 

“You can laugh or whatever, but I’ve been diagnosed with complex PTSD,” Griffin says in the video, “and it’s called an extreme case.” The PTSD started five and a half years ago, she says, adding the word “wink” so we’d all know that she was referring to her well-documented troubles with Donald Trump. Those problems, reports Deadline, include a photograph of Griffin holding up a mock-up of his severed head, losing her long-time CNN New Year’s gig, canceled comedy shows, a Secret Service investigation and being placed on a no-fly list. 

Griffin’s complex PTSD doesn’t appear to be related to her 2021 stage 1 lung cancer diagnosis, a condition that she says “hasn’t helped” in her TikTok video. The comic reached out for advice about that original diagnosis last summer, sharing lung cancer scans on Instagram as a way to get a second opinion. “This is what it’s come to people,” she posted. “I’m putting my scan results on Instagram in hopes that somebody will put it under an oncologist’s nose and send me some sort of interpretation in English of what’s going on with my post-operation situation! Social media can be used for good, dammit!”

And who knows? While the internet at large is not always the best substitute for a doctor’s opinion, maybe Griffin will find some relief from her current trials. Multiple followers shared their good results with EMDR therapy, while others suggested somatic experiencing and low-dose opiates. Griffin herself is sharing videos that explain what works for her own anxiety, such as a walk along the ocean when she feels like an attack is on the way. (Bonus: She got to record a Futurama voiceover after this walk — always good for what ails you.)

In subsequent videos this weekend, Griffin thanked everyone for their kind responses and suggestions. Hopefully, a few of the responses offer Griffin actual comfort — we too would like to believe her theory that social media can help sometimes.