If you've ever been depressed you "understand" the thought of suicide.

[NightWatcher]

I don't know if 'understand' is the right word, but if you've been close enough, you understand.

At least Robin is finally at peace and is no longer struggling.

If you are depressed, please seek help and feel better.
-signed Been There

[Skidmore]

1. So true and

depression can happen to anyone.

[ripcord]

27. Often with clowns and comedians

they are laughing on the outside but crying on the inside.

[Orsino]

84. But, Doctor, I am Pagliacci!

Who patches the Patchers?

[sharp_stick]

2. I've never been there

but I know people who have. We're all a lot closer to this devastating and misunderstood condition than we often think we are.

[YoungDemCA]

4. +1

Thank you for your empathetic, non-judgmental response.

[steve2470]

3. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255

fwiw, in case anyone ever needs it, so many do.

RIP Robin.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

5. K & R +1,000,000 nt

[Rhinodawg]

6. You dont want to kill yourself...You just want the pain to stop.

[steve2470]

8. true nt

[whathehell]

14. That's it...

I can't help thinking about his means, either, though..If I were going

to commit suicide, I'd certainly do it in a less painful way than smothering

myself.

[annm4peace]

24. a person isn't thinking rationally

it is a sickness.. dark thinking and thoughts take over.. it is very hard to fight it. and sometimes you just get so tired of fighting it.

[whathehell]

32. Those are good, sobering thoughts..

Thank you for sharing them.

Rest in peace, Robin.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

94. I'm thinking this may be a classic case of covering up an overdose....

Or auto-erotic asphyxiation.

[whathehell]

104. I think that's probably not the case, but I could be wrong..

I don't think they'd bother trying to cover up an overdose, most everyone knew he

had a drug history. As for "auto-erotic asphyxiation" -- I don't know...He was alone,

according to his wife...It's an icky picture, any way it's framed, that's for sure.

[MrMickeysMom]

67. You have hit this nail squarely...

I understand your explanation the best.

And, one would think that because this person makes more money than others suffering from the same depression, he'd have less of a chance to succumb.

But, no.

[Rhinodawg]

70. Been there,done that and got the T shirt.

[mwooldri]

81. I just wish I could 'rec' your reply.

Depression and mania severely impact your thinking. Your wise mind isn't in control. I have been to the point of suicide a few times - enough now to know when to get help. I can only speak for me, but when I've got to that point, the pain is worse than my list of reasons to live.

I am lucky and fortunate that I have a supportive wife. She has had a close one terminate their own life suddenly and it's not a good memory for her. She's part of my reasons to live, and part of my "safety net" to know when to get that help.

Thank you - even if it's a one-liner - this is why people with depression and mania see suicide as a way out.

[ashling]

89. Suicide as a treatment option

seems very rational when you are in that place ... I have been there.

[Siwsan]

7. I lost a brother to suicide, 29 years ago, and it still hurts

I'll never understand why he didn't turn to one of us for help and carry a degree of survivor guilt, to this day. I've been low, before, and the thought was there, but then I remembered what an awful burden it is for everyone else to carry, and so I just deal with life.

[Mnemosyne]

37. 'Silent Grief' is a good book I have read several times, it helped. nt

[Mojorabbit]

42. I lost my husband this past Dec this way. Devastating. nt

[niyad]

50. I am so very sorry for your loss. May the Lady bless and keep you, and may your husband

be at peace.

[Mojorabbit]

52. Thank you. This news hit me hard today.

Thank you for the lovely blessing.

[renate]

71. how unspeakably sad and awful that must have been. I am truly, truly sorry

I wish there were words to use when there are no words.

[Throd]

55. My brother-in-law hanged himself 15 years ago. Part of me still really hates him for it.

It isn't a hate I feel every day. Years ago I boxed it up and tucked it up in the attic of my mind. It's still there, but I see no reason open it up.

I'm conflicted about it all because about ten years before his suicide I was having thoughts about killing myself. I somehow managed to make my way through the darkness and have a very nice life today. I feel sorry for him and hate his guts at the same time.

[Skittles]

61. you need to forgive him and let it go

my dad shot himself at age 50 and lived for six days - day three was my birthday, so I know the feeling

[annm4peace]

63. it is like something is pulling you to the other side

it is so hard to explain if you have never gone through it.. you can feel the love of others, and know the love others but what is pulling you to the dark side isn't enough for your love to stop it. sort of like how love can't stop cancer, or diabetes, or other illnesses.

you know rationally the pain you feel shouldn't be happening.. you know that what you are going through.. others have felt worse.. it is just this despair feeling that is so incredibly strong.. Like you are in a riptide and it is dragging you further out.. and often you swim out of the current.. or the rope that someone tosses you, you are able to pull yourself to shore.. but sometimes you don' t make it.

sadly we often don't know that something small that can make us sad.. can grow very fast into horrible despair.. we have to watch ourselves.. how we react to things.. to know it is dangerous for us to get sad.. that despair can take over so quickly.

and if there are drugs involved..it can make it so much worse. and that certain drugs both prescription or not can bring on despair and suffering.

there is so much judging.. both on the person who died and on ourselves who weren't able to stop it. we have to let go of the judging and the suffering.

I'm sorry for your lose and I wish it didn't happen..

[ncliberal]

9. Been there also.

I am in a totally different place than I was last year at this time. Please seek help if you're depressed. Depression is a horrible disease and there is no shame in asking for help. Peace and love to anyone suffering.

[rurallib]

10. In my youth I learned that suicide was very bad

a coward's way out many called it.

As I have aged, I have learned that this like many things I was taught when I was young was not true.

The human mind is so complex, and so fragile. Humans do incredible things and much that makes no sense.

I have learned not to judge, just to hope for peace for all humans and especially for those with troubled minds.

We were so fortunate to have had his brilliance while we did. We are fortunate he left us a wonderful legacy.

[MissDeeds]

40. Well said n/t

[CaliforniaPeggy]

11. I have been depressed, and I got help.

I think everyone who has felt depressed to any degree has had the thought of suicide cross their mind........

It even crossed mine, only to be pushed away.

Robin is finally at peace, but omigod, what a way to get there.



Too young, way too young...

[steve2470]

12. yes too young

so so sad.

[ChiciB1]

13. Well I DO Understand!

It's Difficult and so hard to battle!!!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

15. I've battled the feeling many times.

Emotional pain and the miserable obsessive ruminations of depression are excruciating. When you can't get it to stop...... for Robin Williams.

[MisterP]

16. I've been close a dozen times, and understand--understand that it won't mean any damn *peace*

[obxhead]

17. Yep

[Vattel]

18. Depression can be overcome. Don't give up.

[Marrah_G]

19. I've been there

Not wanting to hurt my children stopped me.

[GliderGuider]

20. Been there as well. nt

[liberalhistorian]

21. I have, and I do,

and it upsets me that more people just don't get it, or refuse to get it. When you feel that way, ALL you can think of is stopping the pain. And I mean ALL.

I've loved Robin since I was a child, for nearly forty years, and it absolutely breaks my heart, both at the loss of such an incredible talent and human being, and at the pain he must have been in. And I'm furious at the continuing stigma and discrimination that still make it so difficult for so many to get the help they need.

My nephew completed suicide nearly fifteen years ago and I know what it does to families and how you never quite get over it, especially the feelings of guilt over what you may have missed and what you could have done. My heart breaks for Robin's family and friends tonight. Let us remember that we may have loved him as a public figure and loved his talent, but he was also a son, brother, father, friend.

[NightWatcher]

22. Thank you for getting it

It's not a weakness thing, or a cop out. When the voices scream so loud and it hurts so much to just breath, you'd do anything to get some peace. I hate when people look down on suicide sufferers. They should instead, weep for the pain that led a normally sane person to that most extreme of measures just to get comfort. New tragedy opens old wounds.

[zappaman]

23. Been there.

Breaks my heart.

[annm4peace]

26. when I was in that same place I thought

it is like fighting cancer.. or a disease like it.. sometimes you can fight it and win... and then it comes back, stronger and you just don't have the strength.. you want to.. because of your kids, your friends, your pets, your family... it the sickness over powers you.

If only you could get to a safe place and be safe till you get your strength again.

[LittleBlue]

25. Lost my mother to suicide

But she had a degenerative illness that she didn't want to endure. She explained in a detailed letter why she did it and how much she loved us. That helped me a lot.

Beyond wondering how she had the courage to do it, I've never wondered about doing it to myself. Then again, I've never experienced alcohol/cocaine addiction like Mr Williams or an incurable illness.

I hope he wrote to his wife and children before he died and at least spoke to them for a final time. It made a difference to me.

[REP]

28. He was probably self-medicating an underlying mental health disorder

Judging from his behavior over the years, I would guess he had a form of bipolar disorder, as his mentor, Jonathan Winters, did.

[truedelphi]

91. And other elements of modern life can affect people as well.

I can go from Pollyanna to "Just hand me the razor blades, please" in one week's time, if the food I eat has MSG in it.

It is in almost all breaded products, from KFC to fish fillets that are breaded. Barbeque sauces contain a ton of it.

And since it is in so many prepared foods, it is hard to avoid. I am limited to eating only produce, fresh meat and organic grains.

But the worst aspect of MSG is that most people have no idea they are eating it, and no idea it can cause them so much depression.

[REP]

93. Williams had a documented history of BPD

It was evident in his public behavior.

[truedelphi]

105. The two situations, being bi polar, & having a diet that includes foods laced with MSG,

are not mutually exclusive. In fact, more and more researchers are beginning to believe that consuming MSG can exacerbate certain underlying mental conditions.

Just as some schizophrenics can improve on a diet high in Vitamin B complex items, people with other mental afflictions can get in trouble by consuming MSG. But MSG, at this point, is under the radar, and most people do not know anything about it.

[MissDeeds]

29. Thank you for this, NightWatcher

Depression is a horrible disease. Three of my cousins have committed suicide, one in his early twenties, one at forty, and another, who had been suffering serious health issues, took his life in his early sixties.

In my personal experience, perhaps the most poignant is the suicide of my husband's friend - a doctor who was so fearful of the side effects of antidepressants that he refused them, until the pain of depression overcame him and he took his life. It was especially traumatic considering he was a medical professional who had undoubtedly dealt with and helped patients over the years who had battled the same issue, yet when it came his time to confront it, he felt helpless, hopeless and without options.

I think one of the most heinous aspects of depression is that it robs its victims of hope. I am so very sorry for the pain and anguish that Robin Williams endured. I hope he finds the peace in whatever afterlife there may be that he could not find here.


Godspeed, Robin.

[yuiyoshida]

30. For US Veterans..

1-800-273-8255-XT 1

[link:http://veteranscrisisline.net

[Loudly]

31. Not only understand it, but refrain from condemning the choice.

Also very supportive of the method he used.

He owed us nothing, especially after having given us so much.

Hope there is a note that's fittingly funny, from which the world and his family may derive comfort.

[MustBeTheBooz]

69. "Reality. What a concept!"

Damn, I'm going to miss him.

[Ghost in the Machine]

33. I was diagnosed in 2002 with "Severe Clinical Depression" & 10 yrs untreated PTSD....

... but the ONLY times I EVER had thoughts of suicide was when they had me on anti-depressants. I quit taking them and just went back to my old credo of "just suck it up and keep moving on". It works just fine for me.

I tell people all the time that "as much as I've been through in my life, the only reason I haven't killed myself is because I want to hang around and see what the hell is going to happen next! It's been one hell of a white-knuckle ride, but I've got a one-way ticket on this rollercoaster and I damned sure ain't jumping off early... I'm riding it all the way to the end!"

I wish everyone could think like this, as I've lost friends and family to suicide, and it hurts not having all the answers and wondering if you could have done something to help stop it.

Peace,

Ghost

[jeff47]

39. The way I describe it to people

is depression is not "It's so hopeless, I should kill myself." Depression is "It's so hopeless, I should kill myself. Eh, why bother".

One of the dangers of treatment is you may fix the second sentence before fixing the first. Which is why people who have depression really, really need psychological care, and not just Zoloft

[LoisB]

34. Thank you.

[NaturalHigh]

35. Yes, how true.

I think that a lot of people just don't get that clinical depression is more than just having the blues.

[harun]

92. Very different. Like a dark aura around you that you want to be away from.

I heard it described this way by someone else and then when I had it happen I knew what they meant.

Won't really know it unless you have experienced it.

[LiberalElite]

36. I've been there -

bf got me a referral to good psychiatrist. Many years later I'm still here.

[RebelOne]

38. Been there, but never thought of ending my life. n/t

[AnAzulTexas]

41. my first comment

is just gonna be that I, like some of you have stated, have been there. this is a kick in the gut. I grew up watching reruns of mork & mindy with my parents as a child. please be at peace mr. williams.

[renate]

72. welcome to DU, and thank you very much for sharing that with us

[keopeli]

43. Struggled with major depression since I was a child. At the darkest times, suicide is an idea for

how to stop the endless, constant suffering.

In the past, the only thing that kept me from attempting suicide was the thought that "I can't do that to my mother." Thank god, my mom is still alive. I can't even consider what life will be like when she passes. Who knows, I may go first. But, for my mom's sake, I hope that doesn't happen.

[CTyankee]

103. I hope you can stop this from happening. Is therapy any solace for you?

[Iron Man]

44. I've been there as well.

I attempted suicide once five years ago. I've struggled with depression most of my life. I have it managed now and I'm doing better. But that's because I got help. I really hope that anyone else who is struggling with that crippling disease will also get help. It was the best thing I have ever done.

[LisaLynne]

46. I'm glad you are doing better.

I'm glad you found something that helped.

[Iron Man]

53. Thank you.

[rhett o rick]

45. There are treatments, but artists struggle with knowing that the treatments

will change them.

[Duer 157099]

51. Spot on.

Nothing more to add.

[whathehell]

77. That change

may be for the better..The idea that treatment kills creativity is false, and even if it did,

suffering "for art's sake" is fine, dying for it is bullshit.

[rhett o rick]

79. What change? I have seen what treatment can do first hand. Do you have any

information?

[whathehell]

83. I'm referring to the comment made by you..

"There are treatments, but artists struggle with knowing that the treatments will change them".

That "change" was the one my post was addressing.

[rhett o rick]

108. Then it seems you contradicted yourself. The "change" I was referring to dealt with

their creativity. You said the "change" might be for the better (meaning the change in their creativity) and that treatment doesn't affect creativity. If treatment doesn't affect creativity, then there is no change.

[whathehell]

112. No, it seems we've misinterpreted each other.

"You said the "change" might be for the better (meaning the change in their creativity) and that
treatment doesn't affect creativity. If treatment doesn't affect creativity, then there is no change".

No, that's not what I meant. When I said "the change might be for the better", I meant a change
for the better in their emotional state, e.g. a lessening of their depression. I thought that's what we
were talking about.

I mentioned that treatment doesn't necessarily affect their creativity, because many artists
will resist treatment because they fear it will diminish or destroy their creativity.

It's an old fear, and that's what I was trying to address there.

[SammyWinstonJack]

88. ^^This^^

[GreenEyedLefty]

47. I have peered into the abyss...

Instead of taking the plunge I chose to just sit with the pain. Fortunately, it never got worse. When I decided I could live with it, live with it I did.

I get it, though, when others choose otherwise.

[LisaLynne]

48. Thank you for this thread.

It's a weird thing, but when you're in the midst of it, sometimes you KNOW people love you and you know you are going to hurt them, and you really don't want to, but the pain is just so great that it pushes everything else out - love, joy, everything. I don't think it's possible to describe it accurately, not in a way that people who are (thankfully) not in that place to understand.

[catrose]

49. And so often a comic,

Often Robin Williams, made me feel better and got me through the dark time. I irrationally feel awful because I couldn't do the same for him.

My son watched Mes. Doubtfire over and over. He was so thrilled about a sequel. He'll be heartbroken. So am I.

Bipolar... claimed so much of my family.

[Skittles]

54. I detest people who call suicides cowards and the "easy way out"

if you don't understand depression and suicide then consider yourself lucky and STFU

[steve2470]

56. agreed ! nt

[OwnedByCats]

75. I agree

I thought about suicide myself at my lowest times, but I felt I didn't actually have the courage to do it. I thought about the consequences for my loved ones, worried there would be no wonderful afterlife to go to and I was actually scared of dying because of the unknown. No, I think it would take great courage to actually go through with such a drastic way out. Permanent solution to a temporary problem. However I was lucky, though severely depressed I was still of sound mind to think rationally about it.

[Skittles]

107. it's not cowardice OR courage

it is illness

also, "permanent solution to a temporary problem" is cliche and very often not true - some people suffer from relentless depression over their lifetime - they're not just depressed because they didn't get what they wanted on their birthday

glad you're here

[raccoon]

78. +1000. And they don't know what they're talking about. nt

[oberliner]

57. He seemed so not depressed

Everyone described him as always telling jokes and making people laugh.

[steve2470]

58. some people are able to smile and hide it

It's called smiling depression. I'm not trying to diagnose him with it, just explaining something that happens.

[oberliner]

60. It just seems so incongruous

I mean there are some people who just seem really depressed and some who just really don't. He always seemed to be in that latter category - but I don't really know anything about smiling depression so thanks for that link.

[jeff47]

64. Self-medication comes in many forms.

Some drink or do drugs to mask the pain. Some try to create joy to overcome the pain.

[uppityperson]

73. He spoke about his struggles with depression over 20 years ago, has been a long time thing

He was an excellent actorm, but inside was in pretty much constant pain.

[oberliner]

76. But he always said he was not clinical depressed

Just that he felt down sometimes.

[fujiyama]

59. There are times when life can feel really hopeless

and the escapism and self medication alcohol provides can seem temporarily wonderful. But it ultimately perpetuates the misery.

People, don't let the stigma get to you or a loved one. Get help, or get them to get help. Some people lose the battle, but it's a battle that has to be fought!

[davidpdx]

62. Absolutely

Been there more times than I'd rather remember. The news of Robin Williams brings up very deep feelings on both suicide and the loss of someone I have admired so much for so many years.

[gulliver]

65. It's a tricky feeling.

I don't know if feelings of intense revulsion and mental frozenness qualify. I may or may not know what depression is like, but I have similar feelings frequently. Knowing them, I am not really sure how they could feel more terrible. But I explore them when I feel them, feeding them to curiosity. Then I study the feelings and realize I don't have to be only them. They can become just another deep and interesting place to be, not even a place necessarily to be avoided if it weren't for the boring stupor, the pain, and the anxious need to hide from other people.

The thing not to do with the feeling is to drive cognition with it, at least not without standing mentally outside the generated cognitions as an observer and student. There is a tendency to produce thought models, deductions, and narratives from nausea, mental pain, and stupor. I always take those cognitions as provisional and curious, regardless of how limitlessly horrible and conclusive they feel. They are like dreams. The stupor/ugh feeling is where it begins. The feeling hits and conjures up seemingly inescapable, nighmarish, irrefutable "reasoning" for self-hatred and despair. What is really just an awful feeling becomes elaborated in the language of all levels of the mind. But you have to recognize where the "reasoning" and spiritual level cognitions are coming from and that all such thinking is provisional, suspect, curious. It is ignorable, questionable and capable of being learned from. You don't have to interpret it as your "self," because it simply isn't that. That position helps reasoning and feeling both, imo.

I did just finish reading Albert Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus and I tend to agree with Camus. Sisyphus doesn't have it so bad. He rolls his rock up the mountain and watches it roll back down, and the message of it can be one of intolerable, Hell-like futility or of joy-filled heroism and mindfulness. You can accept absurdity and darkness and derive great strength from them.

And no, I'm not telling people to dump their meds or that everyone should just try to face down their demons with mental tricks. I'm just sharing something that I think it is useful. I think our culture and art have given many people a kind of operatic feeling of what authenticity is all about, and it is, we think, about "being true to our feelings." But that's just a step or two away from being slaves to them. We share a whole bunch of feelings with all mammals, mammals that lack basic cognition. We aren't being inauthentic to be more than our feelings, we are being more authentic.

[F4lconF16]

66. A close friend attempted to kill herself last week.

To anyone out there who is suffering from depression, please, find help if you can. It can make a world of difference. Feel better.

Thank you for the thread.

[marew]

68. Some struggle much more than anyone knows...

[lovemydog]

74. Been there too.

It's excruciatingly awful. It's like a horrible loud noise in your ears. The worst noise you've ever heard. You not only feel it won't go away, you feel it will get even worse and even louder. You will do anything to make it go away.

Funny thing, many in the thread have tried to describe it. While I can relate to what they're saying, I don't feel it was exactly that way for me. Maybe that's another awful thing about it. It makes you feel more alone than anything else. And that no one else quite understands exactly how alone you are.

While I'm in treatment now, I still have these feelings. So for me, they don't go away forever. I live day by day. Yes, I find joy. Yes, I find happiness. But at the same time, life often feels harrowing. And I can't say that I'll never be in that deep dark alone place again.

So, please listen to and be there for anyone in your life who has been depressed. Don't just say to yourself 'everything is ok now'. Really be their friend. Make the effort. Call or text them. Get them to go have coffee or ice cream or whatever. It will reward you too!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

90. you put it well.

[magical thyme]

80. It is a lifelong struggle

I've battled it since I was 5 years old. Mine is largely situational. In the brief times that my circumstances have been good, the depression has disappeared. When my situation has been at its worst, I've been right at the brink. Once I've planned, and a second time I've started to execute the plan but somebody gave me the info I needed to temporarily fix the situation. That bought me the time to work on a longer term fix. I really didn't see any way forward and I had no strength left to go on.

When I first entered therapy in my 20s, my therapist told me it would be a lifetime disease. I didn't believe her, and set out to prove her wrong.

Now 60+, I know she was right. It is a lifetime disease. That is one of the things, I think, that unfortunately puts people over brink. You know that it will come back. You just get effing tired of the pain, the suffering, knowing that even if you wait it out, like a cancer in remission, it will be back.

And anti-depressants can increase the risk of suicide because without them, you don't have the energy to execute a plan, but when they first kick in, you do have some energy freed up.

Depression just sucks the life right out of you...

[tridim]

82. I understand now that what I considered mild depression wasn't even close.

Because on my worst days (out of work for years due to the Bush recession), suicide never crossed my mind a single time.

I guess it's just different for everyone?

[grahamhgreen]

85. Low seratonin, dopamine, or acetyl-choline levels will make you depressed...

Try boosting them with 5-htp, tyrosine, and lecithin, works great for me

That doesn't work, see a doctor.

[truedelphi]

96. Both of us at this household use the 5-Htp, and it can be remarkable.

Which of the three items you mention works well on the dopamine factor?

[grahamhgreen]

98. Tyrosine is the precursor for dopamine...

When you see old people or alchoholics who get the shakes, this is usually from low dopamine, often curable by tyrosine supplements.

Downside is too much dopamine can make people agitated.... Also helps for quitting smoking as nicotine mimics dopamine in the brain.

[truedelphi]

99. Thanks for the information.

Tyrosine is a product separate unto itself, or is it also a name for one of the B vitamins?

[grahamhgreen]

110. Tyrosine is an amino acid, not a b-vitamin. You may be thinking of thiamine.

You can get it at a health food store or vitacost.com

[Blasphemer]

109. Preferably while being monitored by some sort of health professional

Just wanted to add that these can be dangerous for some people, as they were for me. I don't want to get too personal but swinging too far in one direction can be problematic.

[grahamhgreen]

111. preferably, if you can find one that belives in nutrition and not just drugs.

[hamsterjill]

86. A friend of mine shot herself.

We were all in shock because by all outward appearances, this woman had it together. She was smart, she was involved in several admirable causes, she had a job, she was moving up...

Then I got the phone call, and she was gone. It took me days to even accept that it was real.

We learned that she'd found out her husband was having an affair and that was, obviously, the straw that broke the camel's back when added to the other miseries that she must've hidden so well.

I remember feeling so helpless; so responsible. Why hadn't I figured it out!!! Why hadn't ANY of us figured it out and talked to her!!!

It was only after a group of us sat down with a caring counsellor who actually described to us what she must've been experiencing and explained why we didn't know (because she didn't want us to) and why she did what she did (because it IS an illness that prevents thinking logically and rationally sometimes).

It always bothered me that she chose a violent way to end things. She was SUCH a peace maker that I would have thought she would have chosen a different means to end her life. The counsellor merely said "she meant it" when she picked a gun.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

87. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

No matter what problems you are dealing with, we want to help you find a reason to keep living. By calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255) you’ll be connected to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area, anytime 24/7.

Ayuda en Español

¿Qué pasa cuando llamo?

Cuando usted llama al número 1-888-628-9454, su llamada se dirige al centro de ayuda de nuestra red disponible más cercano. Tenemos actualmente 150 centros en la red y usted hablará probablemente con uno situado en su zona. Cada centro funciona en forma independiente y tiene su propio personal calificado.

[Thunderbeast]

95. Sadly, we all share part of the responisbility for this event

This may not sit well with some, but I think we need to consider the key challenge of bipolar disorder; The manic episodes are as much a part of the disease presentation as the depressive side of the cycles. We ask what kind of depression is so deep that Mr. Williams would take his own life, yet we all are celebrating his wild creativity which, while tremendously funny to all of us, was as much a part of his destructive symptoms as the depressive episodes.

Not all sufferers of bipolar disorder react the same way to medications, but the largest challenge that these patients face is the compromises that must be made to regulate the manic-depressive cycles. The mania is every bit as problematic as the depression. The following is largely speculative, but my experience with close relatives lead me down this path. Robin Williams may have had the opportunity to regulate his moods, but the creativity and wild, unexpected behaviors were rewarded handsomely in money, fame, and adulation. How could he leave that behind? What would the press have said if he suddenly acted like the rest of us; Not too wild; Not too down?

Prescription mood stabilizers are crude and limited. As with many folks with this diagnosis, Robin Williams may have tried to keep his mania going using non-prescribed drugs. His admirable trips to rehab were an effort to get his life back under control.

We need to learn much more about mental illness. Our therapies need to be more effective, with fewer side effects.

While we mourn Robin Williams, we should ask ourselves whether our continued hunger to see the creative, manic side of his disease was really a voyeuristic window into an untreated mental illness.

As long as the jokes were funny, nobody bothered to ask.

[sybylla]

100. So you had a chance to speak with his doctors?

I didn't know that.

There is always plenty of survivor guilt to go around. So why not dump a little more on everyone.

Let's start with the fact that not all artist are tortured souls, though that is a common romanticized perception of artists. And not all depression is the same. Robin Williams was a fantastic actor, so making a diagnosis based on his pubic antics, persona, and rumors of his private life is really out of place. If you have a link to some comments he made or anything made by his own doctors or family, that would be helpful.

You see, I have a bit of personal experience with suicide.

My BIL shot himself 20 years ago. Rumors were rampant in the small community he lived and worked in. The newspapers got many things wrong and the family had to threaten to sue before a tiny correction was placed on page 12. So to think the media has it right on anything regarding Robin Williams that didn't come out of his own mouth seems to be misplaced faith.

In my BIL's case, within hours there were people who barely knew him saying, "He must have been depressed" or "There must have been warning signs the family missed" or 11 million other things that suggest those closest to him were responsible for this man's actions or for not preventing them. And suddenly everyone was a faux expert on suicide, on what my BIL went through before he shot himself, and on what the family went through afterward.

Truth is, no one knows what went on in Robin Williams' life but Robin Williams and possibly his closest family and remotely his closest friends. And truthfully, no one else has a right to know.

What I did learn from that episode is that the number one factor in preventing suicides is talking about it. Whether it's society at large or just your own interpersonal relationships, creating an atmosphere in which suicide is talked about (without guilt or fear of judgment), in which people who are having those thoughts know they have someone they can talk to, can make the biggest difference in preventing it.

No one medical cause is responsible for all suicides, some suicides have many factors, and, in fact, in a surprisingly large number of suicides (like with my BIL) there was never any form of depression.

To make assumptions about what Robin Williams was going through is improper and to suggest others are responsible for what he chose to do is like blaming the spouse for an alcoholic's alcoholism or for their own beating at the hands of an abuser. It's obvious from the response not only of all his friends (of which he had many judging by the news last night) but also of the entire world that your "as long as the jokes were funny" comment is woefully shitty.

[Thunderbeast]

102. He DID talk about it through his entire career

Robin Williams was open about his bipolar diagnosis. He was very public about the challenges. He was a "poster boy" for the mental health community for years. HE acknowledge in many interviews that his creative "schtick" was a result of his bipolar mania.

That fact makes his loss even harder for all of us who fear the same outcomes for our loved ones. My post was less about "survivor guilt" than it was a hope that people will add mental illness to the list of diseases that the masses will run for, walk for, wear ribbons for, and lobby for.

The mentally ill are not often sympathetic characters. There is more energy put toward the situation for rescue animals than toward one of the most destructive health conditions that human beings in our society faces.

[Triana]

97. Twice. n/t

[redstatebluegirl]

101. I hope nobody here feels the urge to make jokes about this.

Depression is nothing to joke about. I went into a serious depression after my first husband left me for a younger woman. We had not been married long but had been together all through high school and undergrad. I came home from a business trip and he had emptied our house of everything except the dogs (thank goodness).

I scared my family to death, I lost half of my weight within about 6 weeks time. They were ready to force me to be hospitalized when I agreed to get some help from a great therapist and our old family doctor. Between the meds and the therapy I got better, it was slow, it was painful and honestly my family wasn't happy with the outcome because it became obvious that my Dad was part of my issues. But I am so grateful for the help of my "family of choice" and my two siblings I can't speak. I would not be here if it were not for them.

Yes, I understand the thoughts of suicide. Haven't had them in over 25 years, have a 20 year marriage that is healthy and wonderful. I would hope if I ever got those feelings again someone would step in and help but you really never know. Depression is demonized as are all mental illnesses to the point people are afraid to get help. We need to lose that thinking!

Rest in peace Robin, I can only imagine your pain, having this for your entire lifetime.

[colsohlibgal]

106. Kind Of I Suppose

My mother has had periodic issues of depression and I had a brief fling with it for a time though for a pretty good situational reason. But the idea of doing myself in never entered my mind.

Now - the nation needs to get real about end of life options, as other countries do. If I ever suffer from terminal cancer, and I am given 4-6 months to live, I'd like the option of partying on out with heroin or whatever even if it sliced a month or 2 off. Here they worry about addiction but come on, it would not be a long tern problem.