Mourning the death of Robin Williams

Robin Williams 1951-2014

August 11, 2014 is the day when comedy was stopped by the startling suicide death of the talented actor and comedian Robin Williams. Perhaps it's an over reaction to his suicide on my part, but I find the endless video clips of Williams causing uncontrolled hilarity, postmortem, to be over the top.  Williams died by suicide because he was the victim of mental illness and that's absolutely nothing to laugh about.

Some rare people seem like they're so charismatic and talented that they'll live forever.  Robin Williams was a personality with boundless energy, like he could live forever on sheer adrenalin. 

Unfortunately, Williams also, apparently, lived on the edge of a proverbial "black hole" in his universe of fame, because on August 11, 2014, he fell victim to a negative energy and he killed himself leaving a world of mourners.

Robin Williams in skits causing non-stop hilarity on stage, TV and movie screens is absolutely not the way the talented actor and comedian ended his life.  His tragic suicide on August 11, 2014 in California was a final, and definitive statement about the seriousness of his mental illness and despair.

Neverhteless, the enormous out pouring of love and support from a universe of fans somehow just wasn't enough to raise Williams out of the darkness of intense depression. As a nurse who has cared for the mentally ill, it's my opinion that this final deadly act by Williams was, more than likely ,not his first suicidal attempt. Certainly, he exhibited suicidal ideation in the past because, clinically, these horrible deaths seldom happen without some previous history.

Consequently, it's beyond sad to hear Williams being mourned via endless comedy clips from his performances.

In fact, what we know is that Robin Williams had a clinical disease named clinical depression.  

This disease is sad and not a subject for comedy.

Although our instincts react to Williams untimely death by remembering him as a talented and creative comedian, the fact is, his life ended in an extraordinary act of desperately deadly depression.

We should not remember Williams in endless comedy clips. Rather, let us honor his creative life by providing support for the treatment and care for people with mental illness.