Secret Sorrows - He Taught Us A Truth

Credits : Twitter.com

People die of depression all the time. We don’t call it what it is, we call it suicide, but what it really is the terminal stage of depression. Now, not everyone with depression gets to this stage. But for a lot of people who are long term depressives, there’s always that fear.

Then someone SO big, and famous, and FUNNY goes and dies this way. It’s very scary. People don’t understand at ALL. “He had everything! Wealth, fame, the love of family and friends and the admiration of millions of fans! WHY?”

Well, I don’t know about him, but I know about me. I don’t have the wealth and fame, but I’m considered to be kind of funny by people who know me. I don’t look or act depressed. I smile a lot, laugh, and so on. But still there have been times in my life where I have had that passing thought: everyone would be better off if I was gone, and then I’d no longer be a bother to them. Maybe he heard something like that. It can be a very compelling thought, believe it or not.

The love I have for my closed ones has kept me from listening, has allowed me to know that idea is a lie. But when something so glaringly public happens, it reminds me and it scares the hell out of me. I work SO HARD to try to do everything I can to keep level. Most of the time, I’m just fine, I’m really well controlled.

I’ll draw a parallel here. When someone has diabetes, they can do everything right, take their medicine, eat right and exercise, and do all the things that are supposed to keep their condition under control. Then one day, they have a serious blood sugar spike or severe attack of hypoglycemia. That is what THIS is like.

You can have these “small” relapses, a few weeks out of years of good control. But for someone with depression, these relapses can be fatal. So any time one happens, it can be very frightening. Admitting it to anyone is even worrisome, because depression is so misunderstood.

If you know someone with depression, they may be quite upset by the death of Robin Williams. If you love that person, reach out to them, and if they are afraid, comfort them. You don’t have to understand, just be present.

P.S. If you're reading this, reach out to people you know who are in this stage of depression.  If we are not ashamed to have heart disease, why should mental illness still carry a stigma here in the 21st century? It discourages people from seeking appropriate treatment.

And if you're one like me, let me tell you brother, the people around you will never be the same if you're gone from this world. Suicide is a permanent solution to a usually temporary problem.

It just occurred to me that out of all the comedians Robin is the one I most relate to. I look at his comedy and his acting as two different things that he did but each come from the same place. God bless him for fighting as long as he did and giving us so much of himself over the years.

Battling depression can easily go unnoticed sometimes and we end up failing the people who need us the most by abandoning them at their time of need.

The only problem with depression is the only people who understand it are the ones who HAVE it. We support society, we need to support people.

For all of you reading this who have depression - you are NOT ALONE. Just reach out and one of the many of us here will make a connection with you. Live second by second, minute by minute if you have to. Big hugs to you.

"I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel all alone." - Robin Williams

Rest in Power Robin Williams