Couldn't believe it when I read it.  https://celebrity.yahoo.com/ne.....rc=mediacontentstory

So sad.   RIP RW.

Yep, very sad.  Suicide...unreal...

Very sad - apparently had a long history of depression - most of his work was built on nervous energy, so I think he had a lot of esteem and personal issues that he found hard to deal with.

Super bummed out. Such a creative force. Seemed like a good soul too. R.I.P.

I was really sad to see this news.  I literally grew up watching his films and two of his movies are some of my favorites from my childhood, Hook & Mrs Doubtfire.

You never know what someone is dealing with in their personal life and its sad to hear someone you envision being so jovial all of the time dealing with such terrible depression.

RIP O' Captain My Captain

I read about this like 40 min ago. At first I thought it was a hoax... sadly it turned out true. I read a few years back that he had heart surgery so that pop right into my head, but it looks to be a suicide.

He was a good actor and a bit notorious for stealing jokes among stand up circles.

I really enjoyed him in movies like One Hour Photo, The Fisher King, Awakenings.

May he rest in peace.

I hurt with him...I know this sounds morbid, but at least the pain is gone now and hopefully he is at peace.

He touched many lives. Sad night.

A sad, sad day.

I wish the way in which he died wasn't so important to many. His family and friends do not need to be hounded, which is what the unnecessary speculation leads to.

The depth of feeling for this extremely talented man owes to his body of work, and that ability to touch millions around the world is where the focus should be.

RIP Robin Williams.

Quoted from Dreamscale It's always so sad when peeps such as Robin decide their world is so difficult that they have to end it.  It makes no sense to me, as I've struggled with very tough times for prolonged periods of time, and although I have indeed had such thoughts, I believe in life and persevering through thick and thin.

I think we've all been there, at one time or another. That thought has cross our minds.

But no one knows each person's specific circumstances, what they're made of or how much they can take. So passing judgement is useless.

On some level I understand suicide. If a person feels that there is no point in going on, then they have the right to end it. It's their life, their choice. Maybe even objectively some people have no reason to preserver or anything to look forward to. Circumstances vary tremendously, when I was younger I was quicker to judge, now I just try to understand.

A very talented man... will be sorely missed.

As WW once said -

Quoted from John Keating "O Captain! My Captain!"

A fine actor and a genuinely hilarious comedian. He was the type of guy you'd expect to be around for the next twenty years at least. Sorely missed.

R.I.P.

R

To Robin Williams;
It's not your fault. It's not your fault. It's not your fault.


Rest In Peace

Well, I guess I'll watch Dead Poet's Society to honor his work.
Awakenings was equally great but it's extremely depressing. I'd recommend Awakenings to everybody else, but going to watch DPS as I haven't seen it for a long time.

What a shock.

He came across as someone grounded and indeed a few of the characters he played seemed to be quirky, but sound.

It just goes to show the power of mental illness and its ability to hit even the most talented.

Sad day.

To those who have never experienced "depression", all I can say is how lucky you are.

There is a vast difference between just feeling down and struggling with depression. Vast. It engulfs you entirely and fills every minute of your day to the point where you feel you can't escape. That's when tragedies like this occur.

Understanding is hard, but having a little humanity is easy.

My thoughts are with his family.

I recall Jumanji giving me a good edge of the seat run back when I was little. Such a shame. Undoubtedly a good actor whose legacy, especially all the family friendly comedies so many have grown up with will live on. RIP.

My daughter suffers from severe depression. I just got her out of the hospital yesterday, actually, after being admitted for the 6th time in 5 years.

Severe Depression is an illness. It's a chemical imbalance in your brain. Because it's in your brain, you don't have normal thoughts. It shouldn't be mistaken for being "bummed out". That's not what it is. Anyone who knows a person who suffers from "clinical depression" can tell you it's an illness. It requires the right combo of medication, which is half the battle. The other half of the battle is that also requires constant maintenance --- which is where the problem lies. As we all know, it's hard to get motivated when you're feeling down. Magnify that 100 times and then try to take care of yourself.  That's why a lot of people with severe depression end up addicted to something. To numb themselves. Problem is...their medication no longer works and whatever their addicted to takes them deeper into a black hole.

My daughter is 19 now and has been involved in Improv comedy since she was 12. She's really funny. She's taken classes and done shows at the UCB Theater in NY. For whatever reason, who knows why...a lot of comedians suffer from depression. Seems strange but it's true. Jim Carrey is someone who's been very public about his struggles. So before you call someone selfish for taking their life, educate yourself on this illness. It's a killer. I worry for my daughter 24/7. I feel for his family but they knew what was lurking within him...because it's always there.

There's been god botherers round these parts before. Funny how they all sound the same.

God forbid we might talk about Robin Williams on a thread dedicated to him.

I suggest watching the man himself in Good Will Hunting. An Oscar winner, bless.

RIP Robin, whether you believe in an afterlife or not. And peace to all men. And women. Even on the internet.

Thank Christ it's not as bad as Twitter.

R

Quoted from mmmarnie My daughter suffers from severe depression. I just got her out of the hospital yesterday, actually, after being admitted for the 6th time in 5 years. Severe Depression is an illness. It's a chemical imbalance in your brain. Because it's in your brain, you don't have normal thoughts. It shouldn't be mistaken for being "bummed out". That's not what it is. Anyone who knows a person who suffers from "clinical depression" can tell you it's an illness. It requires the right combo of medication, which is half the battle. The other half of the battle is that also requires constant maintenance --- which is where the problem lies. As we all know, it's hard to get motivated when you're feeling down. Magnify that 100 times and then try to take care of yourself.  That's why a lot of people with severe depression end up addicted to something. To numb themselves. Problem is...their medication no longer works and whatever their addicted to takes them deeper into a black hole. ... '

Yep. Until you've walked a mile in someone else's shoes.

Celebrity does not make you immune.

Some people go through life never having something like this touch them. Others are sadly all to familiar with it. Enough said. From me, at least.

Yeah, I've studied the chemical imbalance theory before, quite a few years ago in fact. It's very rare that I say things without researching first. My conclusion is that depression is all in the mind. It is made up and often encouraged when all the person needs is a damn good reality slap.

Pick them up and take them to a third world country. Show them real suffering. I'm pretty sure that would cure most.

Robin Williams was a drug addict that believed his depression wasn't his fault. Doubtless he would have been given prescription drugs that make the situation worse, especially with his illegal drug use to match.

antidepressants are not a cure... they often simply exacerbate the problem. The drug companies don't give a fook. They make billions from the psychosis and deaths caused by their concoctions every year. You can chalk this up as another one. Plenty of suicides have been chalked up to anti-depressants:

http://www.drugwatch.com/ssri/suicide/

Unfortunately, SSRIs, a relatively new class of antidepressants, have been associated with an increased risk of suicide. In tests of Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro and Luvox on children with major depressive disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and other psychiatric disorders, about 4 percent of patients experienced suicidal thinking, behavior or attempts. In the placebo group, 2 percent of the participants experienced similar problems.


Kinda says it all... but people won't see it. Pharma need their profits and doctors need their bonuses for selling harmful drugs that kill people.People that give their children drugs like these rather than educating them are doing so much harm (in my opinion) it is almost criminal.

Quoted from DustinBowcot . My conclusion is that depression is all in the mind. It is made up and often encouraged when all the person needs is a damn good reality slap. Pick them up and take them to a third world country. Show them real suffering. I'm pretty sure that would cure most.

Dear. God.

Really?

It took me two years to finally cave and allow my daughter to go on meds. I felt horrible for not allowing it sooner. Meds brought her out of her darkness.

It would never by my impulse to slap someone who is in pain...especially my kid.

Debates over religion, depression or suicide are not appropriate when a family has lost a beloved member.

Good Will Hunting is one of my all time favorite films and his performance made me view him completely different, He was more then the family friendly comedian I grew up with.

I feel for his family, As someone who recently lost a family member to death I feel their pain and hope they can focus on the good memories and recover quickly.

Let's keep this about Robin Williams please.

Your friendly Angry Bear.

Start a different thread in General Chat about depression and drugs if you want, but lets keep this thread talking about Robin Williams. That was the intent with this thread, I'm sure.

I thought David Wong's piece for Cracked was quite nice:

http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/robin-williams-why-funny-people-kill-themselves/

I've removed all the posts that contain a pot shot at anyone else or were off topic.

Don

I envy your ignorance, Dustin. Wish I didn't know first hand how very wrong you are.

When someone suffers from severe depression and ends their life, I think it's very important for people to talk about it. Most people don't understand it. Robin Williams himself was very open about his struggles...in hopes it would enlighten people or possibly let others who have the same issues know they aren't alone. He lost his battle with this illness and so will others if people skirt the issue.

So yeah...Robin Williams was a fave of mine. I love "The Birdcage", Love "Good Will Hunting", "Mrs. Doubtfire", "Peter Pan"....  I also adored Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Another person who struggled with these issues. PSH was in my top five fave actors of all time. Tragic.

A person I know very well suffers from depression. Every day she wakes up wondering if waking up was the right or wrong thing to do. If she picks out a blue shirt, she obsesses that she should have picked the red one. That ruins her day, as well. She blames herself for lousing everything up. Nothing she does, in her mind, is right. Nothing.

That's depression for her. I don't see her smile or laugh. Nothing, not even her own grankids, can induce a smile or a light moment. It's heartbreaking. Truly. And I feel it effects different people in many different ways. And it's real.

That being said, God Bless Robin Williams. A truly gifted actor. Funny how such a comedic man excelled so brilliantly in his more dramatic roles. My fave? Gotta be The Fisher King. Simply awesome movie.

Steve

I've seen some prepared statements from show business folks that recently worked with Williams and said he appeared fine. I thought that either Williams was putting on a good front or perhaps they just weren't very intuitive.

Then, I recalled an old interview with Dick Cavett, who's suffered from the disease since he was 17. He talked about depression and suicide - it's heartbreaking:

"Apparently one thing I said on “Larry King” back then hit home hard. It was that when you’re downed by this affliction, if there were a curative magic wand on the table eight feet away, it would be too much trouble to go over and pick it up. In the depths of the malady, getting a stamp on a letter is a day’s work. Going out to somehow arrange for a gun would be way beyond your capability while stricken. But having one near at hand is another matter.  Suicide rarely happens when you are all the way down in the uttermost depths. Again, it’s too much trouble. Perhaps the saddest irony of depression is that suicide happens when the patient gets a little better and can again function sufficiently. 'She seemed to be improving,' is the sad cry of the mourners."

Robin Williams was someone who seemed best at home giving of himself until he became lost in the act. The audience almost seemed secondary when he was on. He was like a wound up spindle top on stage and when he was done, I’m certain he experienced some of the worst come downs imaginable.

But that was his release. That was his center. I think we loved him so much because deep down inside we wish we could let go like he did. It was vulnerable and open.

It was the same wide openness he lived by, riding to great heights and to the roar of applause that he also had to endure in agony with the blinds closed, alone.

I think over time, the crash stopped being worth the high and the openness simply grew into constant pain.

Shawn…..><

Let's not forget that mental health (or mental ill-health) is entertainment - it always has been and always will be - from Van Gogh onward, people who can't deal with day-to-day life find an outlet -- he was manic-depressive not just depressive, and it was the manic element that sold and was loved so well.

Tragic news. One of the most versatile actors around.

RIP.

Apart from Dead Poets, Doubtfire, Peter Pan, Good Will Hunting and all those other famous films, I'll miss him because of he was the man who starred in films as such these...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0278504/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120889/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265459/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101889/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087747/

I don't think these films would have been half as good if he wasn't in them. Greatly missed.

R

I said before but:

My favorite is hands down Awakenings. Just check out the imdb rating:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099077/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_76

It's truly is a great movie. I watched it couple of times.

I haven't seen Fisher King. And from I see - it's another gem. Oh, I'm in so much luck! Will get that one today.

'Awakenings' is my solid favorite.  And 'One-Hour Photo' was well worth the watch, especially if you're into thrillers.  (Actual slow-burning thrillers, that is.)

Thanks, Mark, I'll give it a look.

Robin Williams wife revealed today that on top of depression and anxiety, Robin Williams was also battling the early stages of Parkinson's Disease which he was not yet ready to share publicly.

There are many worse ways to spend nearly three minutes of your time than to watch this.

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, indeed.

After you've watched it you can be safe in the knowledge that he did.

R