This is a rambling post on my own thoughts and opinions in regards to mental illness...
I don't want to use this post to sit here and rave about how talented Robin Williams was, I don't want to sit here and act like he was my favorite actor in the world, and I certainly don't want to sit here talking up a storm like I knew him personally- because none of that would be true. I know that if someone I loved had committed suicide, it would frustrate me to no end to see so many people care for the moment. I don't mean to be harsh, of course everyone deals with traumatic events their own ways- totally understandable, what I mean when I say it would frustrate me is that I know this sense of caring will disappear within a week or two...the word depression and mental illness will again, be swept under the rug, and only the talks of Robin Williams humor and talent will be spoken about (which these are things that he should be remembered for but...) his suicide also needs to be used as a wake up call... mental illness is real. Mental illness is no more controllable than a physical illness, like Cystic Fibrosis, if you don't get help for it. Had Robin threatened suicide before, or if any person for that matter threatened suicide publicly, most people would coin them as wanting attention. Or, in Robins instance, if he had come out to state his thoughts in more depth, society would have slapped a label of shame onto him, doubting his career... "how sad, he was so funny..." Because apparently his mental disease would take away from all the amazing things he has done and was capable of doing? Don't get me wrong, before I understood the severity of mental illness- I too coined threats like that as attention craving. I get it, you look at a celebrity like Robin Williams, someone you think has it all, and you assume their life is perfect. You assume that they have the money, the friends, hell his own WIKI page crashed the night of his death because so many people were in utter shock, twitter feeds blowing up with tweets of condolences... yet he still felt alone, all of these things didn't change his mental state. That is like seeing someone with Cystic Fibrosis have all the money and friends in the world, and then expecting them to be cured because, well.. they have it all, right? No, that sounds absolutely absurd MacKenzie, but then why do we expect that with a disease of the mind? This disease isn't a choice, and if seeing all the people who loved him, and seeing all the money and talent he had, doesn't prove that to you- then our world needs to do a whole lot better at educating its people. No one would choose to feel so trapped and dark, that they think the only option is to end their own life. don’t post about how sad Robin William’s death makes you and then turn around and call suicide a cowardly act. Instead,realize how dark and low someone can get if they even contemplate taking their own life. Reach out to a friend or a family member if you feel they have a problem... Don't pass judgement, and don't only show you care once it reaches a point of no return. You can help. I can help. Ive seen mental illness first hand, I use to pass judgement and found it hard to understand, I just wanted whoever it was to 'get over it and fix themselves,' but I've worked on educating myself... and everyone needs to do the same. Every 40 seconds, someone tries to kill themselves. Every 18 minutes, one of them SUCCEEDS. If you are someone reading this feeling alone and trapped, reach out for help. Talk to a friend, family member, call a hotline.. or send me a message. I am here to listen. Things can get better, you can be helped.
