When tragedy strikes all manner of personalities are in evidence in a matter of nano-seconds. Immediately we are inundated with tirades, rants and unnecessary lectures about how things should or shouldn’t have been done. To that I say, “Nuts!” Unless you’re walking in the shoes of the person you have no idea what is going through their mind at any given time.
In the case of Robin Williams, he did seek out treatment at
different times of his life but he didn’t get the help he needed at the correct
time. It may be that he would never have gotten the
correct help. None of us can sit in
judgment of a person who is in the throes of mental illness. We can’t imagine
what they are thinking or how they are thinking. We say things like, “How could a person so; wealthy,
healthy, beautiful, handsome or any other thing we think is the epitome of
success, do something so selfish”. Who
are we to demand to know why someone does something to themselves? Are we entitled to know everything about
another human being? Do we have the right to foist our own morality, judgment,
or actions on another person?
It is sad we’ve lost a great talent. But that’s what we’ve lost, a talent. His family lost his love, body, soul, and his
heart. We will recover, but I wonder how
they will fare…
Statistically there is a 50% chance that one or all of his
kids will take a suicide route. I hope
they’re all diligent in seeking help from qualified therapists if and when they
need it. I’m sure they will be seeking
help now if they need it, or someone else thinks they need it.
I’ve had my share of depression and unless you have been
treated for clinical depression you can’t really know what it’s like. We see all the advertisements on TV about the
drugs available to treat depression. We also see other ads that tell us we may
have to add more drugs to the ones we’re already taking to combat the
depression. Well, that’s fine for some
people but we, in the country are far too quick to seek out a pill to help us
“get over the hump” or whatever we may think we need. I ask this, “do you think the folks who are
searching for food to continue their existence are looking for a pill to make
them happy?” I don’t think so. Ergo…we have too much time on our hands. Too
much time wasted on silly unnecessary things; a new electronic device, clothes,
shoes, make-up, cars. We are causing
some of our own mental illness, or at least we’re contributing to it.
Depression is a slippery slope and once you’re on the
downhill slope it’s kind of hard to stop.
The answer is to stem it as soon as you know you’re about to enter into
the “dark side”. Most folks who have
been in the despairs of depression can pretty much tell when they’re about to
enter into the shadows of their lives.
They try to ignore the signs, but shortly they realize they are walking
a path which will only take them into the darkest depths of the recesses of
their minds. It’s not easy to find the
sun and warmth. There’s a part of you
that feels comfortable in the dark and you don’t want to feel the pull of the
sun, you like the feeling of the familiar comfort of the blanket of darkness
covering you. When you are in the sun,
other folks are pulling and prodding you to do something or be someone you
don’t want to be. It’s sometimes easier
to stay in that dark cocoon and just wait.
However, it’s a trap.
Those of us who have battled the depression “monster” know
when we’re in trouble if, and it’s a big IF, we are seeing clearly. There seems to be a feeling from others
who’ve not been to “depression land” that we can “snap” out of it, look on the
bright side, fake it until you make it, smile, etc. That’s not good therapy. We don’t have the ability to walk out of the
dark easily. There’s always something
that has grabbed us and brought us back into the arms of the darkness. Only we know how to get ourselves back into
the light. Only we know what we have to
do to turn the corner and find a way to walk toward the light.
Here lies another problem.
Sometimes the light we seek is not of this world. Sometimes the light is from another world, a
world where we may fit better than here.
Don’t think that’s a cop out. It’s the truth. If we are in so much pain with no relief in
sight (and if you’re sitting there thinking, “Suicide is a permanent solution
to a temporary problem” you have no idea what depression is or how you,
yourself would handle it, so keep on reading) the only answer may be suicide…
I’m not advocating suicide, but pain comes in all sorts of
forms. I’ll bet Robin Williams had his
share of both physical and mental pain.
He tried, for years, to self- medicate.
He had the ability to get the best medical treatments. He wasn’t being selfish or taking an easy way
out. He just wanted “out”. Are we right to deny him his choice?
