Robin Williams found dead inside his home

  • #381
  • #382
Robin Williams suffered from a mental illness. We do not know what his exact diagnosis was. We do not know if he was in treatment. We do not know if he was taking any medications. We do not know if he was drinking or taking drugs again. All we know is that he committed suicide.

It certainly sounds like he was deeply depressed. Sleeping 18-20 hours per day and still feeling tired would be a symptom of clinical depression. But it can be a symptom of other things also.

If he was diagnosed with Bi-Polar Disorder and was not on medication, the highs are high and the lows are low. Some bipolar diagnosed people don't like to take meds because they feel it dulls their creativity. Dealing with/living with a bi-polar person who is not taking medication is not an easy thing.

In addition to all of the above, statistics show that as high as 35% of people will develop serious depression after any open heart surgery. They are not sure why this happens. Some researchers have speculated it is somehow due to being placed onto the heart/lung bypass machinery during the surgery.
Nonetheless, cause being unknown, the statistic is well known in the medical field.

Money problems - at whatever lifestyle one has become accustomed to - at age 62 would be quite disturbing to most people.

Two of the outstanding feelings associated with being in the depths of depression are helplessness and hopelessness. So where a "normal" person might think to themselves, "I am still a talented person. There is no reason to think I will not be able to continue to work and make income" a person in the depth of a depression has in a way lost sight of reality. Everything is gloom and doom to them. They very often think their loved ones will be better off without them. It is a terrible mental disorder. And many times even family members and closest friends do not recognize the depth of the depression.

I am so sorry that this talented man obviously did not get effective treatment for his condition. Why didn't he? Who knows? Perhaps he fiercely resisted treatment. Perhaps he was placed on medication but he did not take it. Perhaps he was placed on medication and he took it but it was not working for him.

There are so many ifs and maybes and perhapses.

In the end, all I can think of is "May he rest in peace".
 
  • #383
Well, I don't. I guess I'm commenting on her previous post about judging someone, especially without much information.
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...-dead-inside-his-home&p=10851445#post10851445

I just went and read that post you linked. I guess we'll never know exactly what kind of marriage/relationship they had. Even people close to married couples don't always know what goes on behind closed door.

But, I agree with some of what the OP stated. I lived with my mom when I was in my 20's. She was very depressed for a period of time. It was very stressful. I would often turn down plans so I could stay at home 'just in case'. I checked on her all the time. All of the attention upset her at times and she would ask me to leave her alone or lock the door to her room so I couldn't get in. Some friends would tell me not to live my life in fear. That I couldn't prevent her from suicide if she really wanted to do it. That I needed to live my life and not be consumed with hers.

I just couldn't do that. I knew that if she needed me and I wasn't there and something happened, I could never live with the guilt. The good news is, after she found the right medication, she came out of her depression. She told me that there were so many times she had come close to trying to take her own life, during that depression. And it was my attention, ie. checking on her, asking if she wanted to watch TV with me, cooking for her, holding her hand while she cried, just physically being there etc. that pulled her back from the edge.

And I think that's what the OP is talking about in her post. If I ever found myself in that situation with someone that I loved, I would do it again in a heart beat. Just knowing someone is there and showing that person that you are there, that you are going to constantly be checking up on them, might make a difference.
 
  • #384
My favourite Robin Williams performance was whatever I was watching him do at the time.

Electrifying performance in Homicide: Life on the Street Bop Gun.[video=youtube;SrB1_iRDp8g]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrB1_iRDp8g[/video]

Nanu Nanu, Robin
 
  • #385
I haven't wanted to post anything about Robin Williams' death until now. I avoided his movies because he always seemed desperately. profoundly sad to me, even way back in the Mork days. His eyes always looked like they were crying or wincing not laughing. He always seemed to be covering up pain. I thought I was the only one until I read this article on Slate. The writer sees an anger I never noticed, though. That he hadn't committed suicide before was what surprised me. Not trying to seem all I-can-read-people-so-well, because I can't, but in this case . . . just go back and look him in all his pictures.
Article: http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat...ide_he_was_at_his_best_playing_a_villain.html
 
  • #386
FWIW, Robin Williams participated in an interesting interview with Pamela Stephenson.
Some insights into his career choices and his creative process.
Four parts to the youtube posts, I'm only posting the link to the first.
[video=youtube;R1NYrN1-koA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1NYrN1-koA[/video]
 
  • #387
From a 2010 article:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/hollywood-star-robin-williams-on-his-booze-249869

Sadly, when he fell back into addiction after 20 years sober, Williams managed to beat his alcohol addiction - but he couldn't save his second marriage. Marsha filed for divorce in March 2008, after 19 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. Williams, who still attends weekly Alcoholics Anonymous sessions, admits: "You know, I was shameful, and you do stuff that causes disgust, and that's hard to recover from. "You can say, 'I forgive you', and all that stuff, but it's not the same as recovering from it. It's not coming back."
 
  • #388
I agree, Steadfast. I could never watch his stand-up, or talk show appearances, for this reason. I feel the same way about Jim Carrey, sometimes, although I'm not a fan of his as I was RW. To me, their demons are to exposed, when they're not in a structured situation, like a movie.
 
  • #389
My oldest brother is the funniest person I ever knew.

He killed himself 20 years ago at 42.

He was born on 7/21/1951......same day as Robin
 
  • #390
  • #391
  • #392
BTW when my husband checks on me he just checks to see if I'm breathing. I have enough trouble sleeping that he knows better. Wasn't blaming RW's wife for not checking on him.
 
  • #393
Some people that are around people that are depressed cannot handle it. They cannot relate to the person's depression. RIP Robin. Depression is very serious and so many people do not understand that.

You got that right!
 
  • #394
and yet there are many who will snark on the posts of those of us who spend 24/7 caring for loved ones who live with addiction and have children who are ld. Unless you live it, please do not judge it.

amen!
 
  • #395
Do not judge Robin Williams wife. You may have lived with an addict but you have not gone through a suicide. Families, friends left behind are victims too.

Another AMEN! I know people have good intentions when they say, I understand or I'm sorry but they really don't unless they've been there. I try not to use those words.
 
  • #396
BTW when my husband checks on me he just checks to see if I'm breathing. I have enough trouble sleeping that he knows better. Wasn't blaming RW's wife for not checking on him.

Mine SO does the same re: the breathing. Also, since I've overdosed so many times my psychiatrist has told my SO that he has to administer my Xanax.
 
  • #397
Do not judge Robin Williams wife. You may have lived with an addict but you have not gone through a suicide. Families, friends left behind are victims too.
I lost my mom last year to suicide and it still upsets me beyond belief. Depression and addiction are so hard on all family members and I find a lot of shame attached to depression. The pain and hopelessness is unbearable. My heart goes out to everyone that has ever lost someone to suicide xoxo
 
  • #398
FWIW, Robin Williams participated in an interesting interview with Pamela Stephenson.
Some insights into his career choices and his creative process.
Four parts to the youtube posts, I'm only posting the link to the first.
[video=youtube;R1NYrN1-koA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1NYrN1-koA[/video]

Very interesting interview and insightful. Thank you so much for posting the link!
 
  • #399
I don't know I just know what the doctors have said. Maybe because I was & still am a cutter.

Could be by the age of 4 we were handed over to CPS, in & out of abusive foster homes. Bio mom turned into a heroin addict. Her mom committed suicide when she was 10. Had & still abandonment & attachment problems. Had another grandfather take his life. After being in foster homes for about 5 yrs. bio dad came back and took us to CA to live. Too late we were already mucked up & that's when I entered my 1st stay in a psych ward at the age of 9. I could go on & on with more details but frankly I just got out inpatient treatment, PHP, IOP plus ECT in the past yr. I'm 49. This is do or die for me. I'm tired revisiting the past. I'm hoping to make my last years as livable and stress free as I can. The ECT seemed to work. The only bad thing is my short term memory which I was told would come back & it hasn't.
So the pros outweighed the cons. I have been on my meds for 17 yrs. a few have been added along the way but I'm on the right combo.

I just HAVE to take 1hr. at a time not a day and stay busy and in the be in the present. Not the past, not the future & no forecasting.

I'm not sure I can even find the right words to respond to this so openly honest post. Please do take it just an hour at a time if that's what keeps you with us. I'm so glad they found the right combination of drugs for you. Do you have a network of sorts that you can reach out to when you feel the need? Take good care of you- and keep looking forward - not backward. Backward sounds too painful... Hugs to you Kato...
 
  • #400
I lost my mom last year to suicide and it still upsets me beyond belief. Depression and addiction are so hard on all family members and I find a lot of shame attached to depression. The pain and hopelessness is unbearable. My heart goes out to everyone that has ever lost someone to suicide xoxo

I'm sorry for your loss. I don't know if you read an earlier post but it's been 5 hellish yrs. since my sister took her life. There is nothing in the world compare to this type of pain except a loved one being murdered?

I can't even think of words because to be honest there are no words to describe it.
 

Staff online

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
133
Guests online
2,451
Total visitors
2,584

Forum statistics

Threads
632,115
Messages
18,622,275
Members
243,023
Latest member
roxxbott579
Back
Top