July 21st is Robin Williams' Birthday. He would have been 64.
Williams battled Bipolar Disorder throughout his life, a condition marked by times of major depression separated with times of wild amounts of energy (known in the Psych world as mania). Sprinkle a c**aine and alcohol addiction, and you have a pretty scary brew. He committed suicide by hanging himself in the bathroom of his Cali apartment.
Perhaps it's because we are doctors, but we'd be lying if we said that Williams' d**h came as a huge surprise. Nevertheless, we are left with a tragic story, and one hell of a reminder: Mental illness is real, and it's devastating. It doesn't care about your net worth, it could give a damn about your Oscars, and it sure as hell would prefer that you ignored it (as many unfortunately do).
Mental illness is still any “icky” term for many. Maybe it's because the “mental” in “mental illness” makes people feel stigmatized. Maybe all the years of seeing the word “psycho” being attached to k**ers in movies and the media has made us second guess seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist because they sound related. Maybe this mainstream conditioning has forever ruined opinions about psychotherapy. This notion of “talking to someone about your problems isn't going to help you” needs to be dealt with once and for all.
People want to talk things out, that's just what human-beings do. Have you ever wondered why in prisons, the place where the most sinister humans are housed, the worst punishment for prisoners already locked up is solitary confinement? Depriving even the most hardened criminals in the world of human connection is considered the ultimate punishment in jail. Think about that.
We aren't going to beat you over the head with facts about suicide like the strongest risk factor for suicide is depression. We won't go on about how research has shown medications plus therapy is effective in suicide prevention. Or the fact that over half of all suicides occur in uppercla** white adult men, ages 25-65. These are all true, and when tragedy strikes our celebrities, it provides a unique opportunity for health care providers to highlight issues that might not otherwise get the publicity they deserve.
In the wake of Robin Williams' suicide, we can turn tragedy into triumph by helping those that are suffering with depression find help and prevent suicide. Help is out there, y'all. If you need it, please reach out. And if you know somebody who could use this information, you know the drill.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Its a 24-hour, free/anonymous/confidential mental health service for suicide prevention and crisis intervention.