Post by Amtram on Aug 12, 2014 20:23:31 GMT -5
As we now know, he committed suicide on Monday, August 11, 2014, a victim of the deep depression that often goes hand-in-hand with ADHD. He was open about his struggles with depression and substance abuse, but while it's especially clear to those of us with ADHD-dar, he never came out and admitted to having it (lists of famous people with ADHD notwithstanding.) His impulsivity and hyperactivity seemed to be the linchpins of his comedic style, and he took social awkwardness and turned it into a signature character trait, turning it into an endearing comic characterization.
Unfortunately, comedy is often a foil for covering up unhappiness and insecurity. He was loved and admired, given accolades, and was successful at what he did. He was loved by many, mourned by even more. He had nothing to be depressed about. This is a theme that has been coming up frequently in social media. I want to point you all towards Liz Szabo, a journalist with USA Today who has been investigating mental illness since before this tragic event, and who initiated a chat on Twitter and a facebook discussion about suicide and suicide awareness today. Even if you are someone who has lost a loved one to suicide or cared for someone who was suicidal or even considered it yourself, you will learn something from following these discussions. I have been in all three of these situations, and I did.
If you have ADHD, you probably have had many of the same struggles, and maybe not have gotten the same amount of attention as Robin Williams did because you were not famous, funny, in demand, part of a creative community, or any number of other advantageous situations that we all think inure us to a depression so deep that we would end our own lives.
But none of these things simply make everything better. Mental illnesses are not unreal because they can't be seen or measured in a blood sample or seen on an MRI, and they aren't cured by having all the supposed elements for a happy life.
If you have ADHD, you're probably socially awkward, and maybe people even laugh at the funny things you say.
But most of the time you're just out of place, and you didn't intend for people to laugh at you.
If you have ADHD, you probably have tried to self-medicate, and sometimes that seems more OK than having ADHD. I mean, everyone drinks, right? And plenty of people do drugs and still lead productive lives, right?
But when you're doing that to escape the awfulness of who you are, it's not OK. It's a temporary respite, and when you awake, you know you're even more awful - no matter how wonderful everyone in the world may tell you you are.
If you have ADHD, you're probably depressed, and maybe you've become so good at hiding your ADHD because it's something to be ashamed of that you're equally adept at hiding your depression.
But these are not things we should hide; they are not things we should be ashamed of. Instead, the people who should be ashamed are the ones who mock mental conditions and mental illnesses as imaginary, who force people into hiding and mock treatments as pharmaceutical industry constructs to create imaginary illnesses. Hiding leads to more embarrassment, more substance abuse, more depression, and more unnecessary deaths.
I would not presume to say that any kind of intervention, psychological, psychiatric, or otherwise, could have worked a miracle and prevented Robin Williams from ending his own life; but I do think that we need to take it into our hearts that we can try to advocate for ourselves and our loved ones so this tragedy is avoided wherever possible. Own your difference - demand that your condition be respected as real and treated as real and taken seriously. Do not settle for a life half-lived because of shame. Look at this sad event as evidence that your attitude and your circumstances are not responsible for your emotions, and that your depression is a valid problem that needs treatment and understanding and not you being a whiner who doesn't appreciate all the wonderful gifts in your life. So you have nothing to be depressed about? Well, neither did he. Neither do most of the people who are clinically depressed. Depression doesn't happen only when you have something to be depressed about - that's why it's a medical condition, not an attitude problem.
Get help. Don't let your life come to this point. The hell with the trolls who think you're making this stuff up, looking for attention, are some kind of an ingrate, whatever shaming they throw your way. This can be fixed, and you need to fight as hard as you can to fix it. Don't go down that one-way street. You deserve to live.
Unfortunately, comedy is often a foil for covering up unhappiness and insecurity. He was loved and admired, given accolades, and was successful at what he did. He was loved by many, mourned by even more. He had nothing to be depressed about. This is a theme that has been coming up frequently in social media. I want to point you all towards Liz Szabo, a journalist with USA Today who has been investigating mental illness since before this tragic event, and who initiated a chat on Twitter and a facebook discussion about suicide and suicide awareness today. Even if you are someone who has lost a loved one to suicide or cared for someone who was suicidal or even considered it yourself, you will learn something from following these discussions. I have been in all three of these situations, and I did.
If you have ADHD, you probably have had many of the same struggles, and maybe not have gotten the same amount of attention as Robin Williams did because you were not famous, funny, in demand, part of a creative community, or any number of other advantageous situations that we all think inure us to a depression so deep that we would end our own lives.
But none of these things simply make everything better. Mental illnesses are not unreal because they can't be seen or measured in a blood sample or seen on an MRI, and they aren't cured by having all the supposed elements for a happy life.
If you have ADHD, you're probably socially awkward, and maybe people even laugh at the funny things you say.
But most of the time you're just out of place, and you didn't intend for people to laugh at you.
If you have ADHD, you probably have tried to self-medicate, and sometimes that seems more OK than having ADHD. I mean, everyone drinks, right? And plenty of people do drugs and still lead productive lives, right?
But when you're doing that to escape the awfulness of who you are, it's not OK. It's a temporary respite, and when you awake, you know you're even more awful - no matter how wonderful everyone in the world may tell you you are.
If you have ADHD, you're probably depressed, and maybe you've become so good at hiding your ADHD because it's something to be ashamed of that you're equally adept at hiding your depression.
But these are not things we should hide; they are not things we should be ashamed of. Instead, the people who should be ashamed are the ones who mock mental conditions and mental illnesses as imaginary, who force people into hiding and mock treatments as pharmaceutical industry constructs to create imaginary illnesses. Hiding leads to more embarrassment, more substance abuse, more depression, and more unnecessary deaths.
I would not presume to say that any kind of intervention, psychological, psychiatric, or otherwise, could have worked a miracle and prevented Robin Williams from ending his own life; but I do think that we need to take it into our hearts that we can try to advocate for ourselves and our loved ones so this tragedy is avoided wherever possible. Own your difference - demand that your condition be respected as real and treated as real and taken seriously. Do not settle for a life half-lived because of shame. Look at this sad event as evidence that your attitude and your circumstances are not responsible for your emotions, and that your depression is a valid problem that needs treatment and understanding and not you being a whiner who doesn't appreciate all the wonderful gifts in your life. So you have nothing to be depressed about? Well, neither did he. Neither do most of the people who are clinically depressed. Depression doesn't happen only when you have something to be depressed about - that's why it's a medical condition, not an attitude problem.
Get help. Don't let your life come to this point. The hell with the trolls who think you're making this stuff up, looking for attention, are some kind of an ingrate, whatever shaming they throw your way. This can be fixed, and you need to fight as hard as you can to fix it. Don't go down that one-way street. You deserve to live.