Robin Williams was like no other ..To watch him create on the spot was a privilege to behold.. Robin you are an angel now !!! REST IN PEACE
— Henry Winkler (@hwinkler4real) August 11, 2014
Like most of the rest of the world, I was shocked and saddened by the death of Robin Williams, apparently by his own hand.
There’s no way any of us could hope to know or understand the pain that drove Williams to this end. Those of us who’ve battled depression might think we have an idea, but the truth is that each individual’s pain and suffering is unique, as is each individual’s struggle with mental illness. No one can really know what happens in the mind of another, even as we struggle for the self-awareness to deal with what’s going on in our own.
There’s an argument to be made that we’re much better at decrying the toll mental illness takes than we are at recognizing the importance of providing the resources to effectively treat it. For every tragic high-profile suicide like Robin Willians, there are untold numbers of far less well known Americans who orchestrate their own demise. How many of those could be prevented with care, intervention, and effective treatment? Who knows? We’re a country that fears mental illness and keeps it under wraps, which only means that many thousands die when resources and treatment options might make a difference and save lives.
Williams was a wealthy and extremely successful actor and comedian, which makes his suicide more difficult to comprehend. It also illustrates that mental illness respects no boundaries. Money and fame are no insulation against the ravages of mental illness, and in some cases may even exacerbate pre-existing issues for those unable to effectively cope with life in a fishbowl. We may think that money and adulation can get us anything we want, but for some it magnifies and enables self-destructive behaviors a person may already be prone to.
It’s possible that no amount of love, intervention, and treatment would have saved Williams. The world is certainly a poorer place for his absence from it. With any luck, his death will serve as a cautionary tale and illustrate the need to remove mental illness from the shadows so that we can finally devote the resources necessary to recognize and provide effective treatment for it. What could be more important than helping someone in pain to recognize their value and understand that life is worth living? It’s not a Liberal or Conservative thing; it’s a human thing, and the toll it exacts is largely preventable. Unfortunately, there’s every likelihood that once the shock and sadness fade we’ll continue apace until the next tragic high-profile suicide.
Same as it ever was.
At two different points in my life I’ve seriously contemplated suicide. I was fortunate that there were people in my life who cared and made certain I got the help I needed. That I’m here to write this is proof of what can happen when mental illness is recognized and effectively addressed. Would that as a society we could understand that and demand we do a better job of recognizing and addressing mental illness..instead of reacting yet again with sorrow and disbelief when a celebrity ends their life.
We deserve better…and so do those dealing with mental illness.
