We have all seen at least one Robin Williams film. We've all laughed at his genius and could probably quote at least one line from a film or stand-up routine. His explanation of the Scottish accent and how the game of golf was invented still has me and other friends in fits of laughter. But the sad story that he had been suffering depression before deciding to take his own life is almost the definition of the word "Tragic", and highlights the fact that no matter how big a star or how funny someone may be, everyone is susceptible to depression. They are all human, after all.
Those of you who have read my blog before will be aware that I have battled depression in the past, and that my way of dealing with it had been to write about it. I have written about how I became aware of it and how it has affected me for the last 6 years or so, and the realisation of how it works. I have reached the conclusion that every single human being will deal with depression at some point in their life, some more so than others and some people are able to mask it very well.
For me, it comes in cycles. Back in England the occurrences would be much more regular than they have been here in Australia but I am currently in one of those stages, and have been for the last week or so. For most people the battle is understanding what brings it on, but for me the battle is ensuring that it doesn't affect other people around me. That's not a battle I can always win, as much as I try. Certain things can bring it on, and certain things that I enjoy doing can bring me out of it just as quickly. At this moment in time it is taking every ounce of my strength to haul myself out of it.
People associate depression with a mental illness, and it is absolutely not. It is a physical illness. It cannot be helped, and that is what helps me understand and deal with it. I know that at some point in the future I will be absolutely fine, this cycle will pass through, the only question is when? It can be as simple as seeing someone you haven't seen for a while, a little bit of praise at work, a sporting win or even going to your "happy place" if you have one. The fact that people are quick to judge sufferers and dismiss it as being a "sook" is what inhibits so many people from talking about it, but I still think everyone goes through it at some stage. Some individuals more frequently than others. I am grateful that I haven't been through it very many times in the last 18 months since preparing to leave the UK.
The other thing that can be a help or a hindrance is the knowledge that certain people have an image of you that you need to uphold, or that you need to conduct yourself in a certain way. It isn't appropriate to take personal issues to work, and meeting so many different people on a daily basis helps because they don't need to know the pain you go through. You can put on a front when necessary and that helps temporarily. Sometimes I can even go to see a customer and that meeting can completely lift me out of the trough and I'm back in a good state of mind for days. Working at the Reptile Park of a Sunday completely lifts me out of it, even if this weekend it was only temporary, and by the evening I was down again. Is there a reason? Probably not, it's just human nature.
So what of Robin Williams? A professional actor, comedian. Someone who even in death, through his work can still bring such happiness and laughter to people, was still vulnerable to the trappings of a physical illness called "Depression". His own profession was about building a believable character to mask it all. Did you have any suspicion that he was suffering before the reports of it came out after his death? I know I didn't, and at first it came as a surprise. Then I realised that it must affect everyone at some point. It's just that some are better at hiding it away than others, and the real challenge is making sure that someone who really needs the help gets it before it's too late.
If this blog reminds you of anyone at all, get in touch with them now. A simple call or message could save their life and you wouldn't even know it.
RIP Robin Williams.
