It is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to Robin
Williams, who was always a favorite actor of mine. Unfortunately he was found dead in his home
yesterday after losing his battle with depression. When people hear the news, all they can think of is ‘he committed suicide.’ No, it is not
that simple. He did not just commit
suicide, that was an effect of a deeper cause; he lost his battle with
depression.
Depression is an ugly monster. It is not just a temporary feeling of sadness
that one can quickly shake off; it is an all-encompassing feeling of worthlessness,
sadness beyond belief, and overwhelming pain, be it physical or emotional. Whenever it comes to victims who succumb to
suicide, there are always people who are disgusted and call that person ‘selfish.’ I am sorry, but that absolutely enrages me; so
much so that I felt compelled to write an article about it.
I have lost several people in my life to suicide, and never
once did I think they were selfish. Yes,
I wished they stayed with us, sought help, saw how great they were like we all
did, but I was never mad at them for choosing what they did. People who suffer from depression suffer; it is an illness just like any
other. Suicide is not a choice a
rational minded person makes; it is what some victims of depression feel as a
compulsion. Imagine the worst day you
have ever had and multiply that by 100 and that is a glimpse of what depression
is like. Depression victims do not just
get ‘sad’ or ‘down on themselves,’ they are filled with such a self-deprecating
feeling of hatred that they actually think their existence is a disservice to
their loved ones; that being alive brings the people they love grief and pain. Depression can make
you feel so worthless that you not only can’t see how anyone would love you,
but you don’t want the people you love to be around such a horrible
person. That is how depression makes you
view yourself. To regularly think that
the world would be a better place without you in it, and to feel so isolated,
it is no wonder why so many people succumb to the disease.
As a society I think we need to stop blaming people
who have suicidal thoughts and try to help them. Depression is an illness and when we are sick we take care of ourselves and have others take care of us, this is no different. Instead of pointing the finger at victims of
suicide and calling them selfish, let us get to the root of the problem and try
to help them before it is too late. All
lives are precious and especially important to the people we hold dear, they
should know that. No one should ever
feel so isolated and unloved, especially when they are surrounded by people that love
them. There are plenty of suicide
prevention companies[1]
but many victims feel they can do it on their own or that no one understands
them. I happen to think they are right in the latter thinking. Society is so quick to turn a blind eye to the gravity of depression and when the
worst arises, no one takes responsibility that it could have been prevented. I do not think it can be prevented all the
time, but it never hurts to try and be the helping hand, the friendly lifeline,
the shoulder that someone might be dying to have. So as a society let us lose the stigma of
suicide and depression, and let us acknowledge it as an illness like any other
and talk about the root of the problem in order to find a solution.
There is always hope.
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