R.I.P. Robin Williams

When I first heard about the death of Robin Williams yesterday I thought it was an awful hoax. I knew that although he has had a successful career he was a man who struggled with bipolar and substance abuse.

Like many non-famous people who struggle with mental illness he had his ups and downs. When I heard the cause of death was suicide I felt saddened.

Many people are commenting "if only he could have gotten help". The tragedy is that sometimes getting help isn't enough.

Others made comments that if people knew he was depressed why was he left "alone"? The brutal truth is that when a soul is despondent and they feel that suicide is their only salvation, eventually they will make good on it.

Yes that comment is drastic and even cruel but it feels like the truth to me.

I do believe you can come thisclose to suicide and find a way to go on but for too many, that tiny bit of "fight" doesn't happen.

Depression is something that you cannot just snap out of and unless you yourself have experienced it, you don't know what I am talking about.

The pain, the torture is so great that all you want to do is end it. Many look to outside sources to try and subdue the pain. This only causes more turmoil in the depressed person's life and another battle to fight.

Although my comments about being suicidal might seem like I have no hope, in fact I do. I've lived with it and unfortunately, I know what it feels like.

Without hope I wouldn't be here. Without hope, I couldn't go on.

I hope deaths like Robin Williams' bring a new understanding to the struggles of the mentally ill. I hope that people who are struggling will still seek out help. I hope that others will recognize the danger signs in those they love and act on it.

I hope that those who look at people like Robin Williams who brought laughter and joy to others realize that there was profound sadness behind his comedic persona.

Take the time to reach out to those people. They need it the most.

You're only given one little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.


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