BDE Robin Williams

morah

Tue, Aug 12 2014, 6:01 pm

debsey wrote:

The younger you start treatment and the more consistent you are, the better the outcomes. So says the research. I read that he self-medicated for a long time with alcohol. When kids are brought in before they start self-medicating or other destructive behaviors, the outcomes are much better.

True. Remember, he was 63, so it is unlikely he would have gotten much help as a teen. Though there is still some stigma now, it was so much worse then, and that's not even touching medical technology- even if he would have gotten help, we know so much more now than we did then.

Barbara

Tue, Aug 12 2014, 6:08 pm

sequoia wrote:

I have spent the past 7 hours trying to explain to ignorant people on a certain FB group that depression is an illness, not an aveira or a weakness of character. But they won't believe it.

I envy them their ignorance.

FranticFrummie

Tue, Aug 12 2014, 6:53 pm

Depression and comedy are not contradictions, they are two sides of the same coin. Humor, even dark humor, can keep the depths of despair at bay for a while.

Robin Williams also fought terribly with a cocaine addiction (as did Richard Pryor and many other comedians), and cocaine is just one molecule away from being an SSRI (more or less). That's why Freud prescribed it to all of his depressed patients - and why I was addicted to it as a teen. B'H I got off of it and got proper treatment with legal medication and therapy. Not everyone is so lucky.

Alcohol is the side drug to cocaine, that helps you "come down" so you can get rid of the jitters and actually sleep sometimes. Then you have a hangover, and need to "speed up" so you can get back on stage (or back to work, or school) and the cycle starts all over the next day. It's a living hell.

Yes, you can be hysterically funny and totally malfunctioning as a human being at the same time. Some people become addicted to the adrenaline of the emotional roller coasters of public celebrity.

Living a life without G-d in it is such a tragedy.

(next year I'll be 30 years drug free!)

Yocheved84

Tue, Aug 12 2014, 9:23 pm

StripedFlower wrote:

Despite being an 'honorary Jew' he wasn't actually Jewish and therefore BDE is inappropriate.

How does your comment add to the discussion?

This was a loss, and is also a "teachable moment," so to speak, about mental illness.

PinkFridge

Tue, Aug 12 2014, 9:52 pm

Yocheved84 wrote:

How does your comment add to the discussion?

This was a loss, and is also a "teachable moment," so to speak, about mental illness.

Though in this case, RIP is very appropriate, and I hope he's finding it. All day I've been thinking of families I know/know of who've been impacted by suicide or accidental death and how hard today must have been. If any of you are out there reading this Hug

StripedFlower

Tue, Aug 12 2014, 11:55 pm

Yocheved84 wrote:

How does your comment add to the discussion?

This was a loss, and is also a "teachable moment," so to speak, about mental illness.

It doesn't detract from the discussion, it was a 'btw' comment since it was stated in the thread heading.

I have no issue with the thread per se.

PinkFridge wrote:

Though in this case, RIP is very appropriate, and I hope he's finding it.

Jeanette

Wed, Aug 13 2014, 12:02 am

StripedFlower wrote:

Despite being an 'honorary Jew' he wasn't actually Jewish and therefore BDE is inappropriate.

I do not recall ever seeing anywhere that BDE is inappropriate after the passing of a non-Jew. Perhaps if you have a source you will kindly share.

My understanding is the BDE can be said when you hear shocking or tragic news of any sort.

chani8

Wed, Aug 13 2014, 2:09 am

StripedFlower wrote:

Despite being an 'honorary Jew' he wasn't actually Jewish and therefore BDE is inappropriate.

Wait. We're not supposed to acknowledge that G-d is the true judge over all people? Only the jews?

shabbatiscoming

Wed, Aug 13 2014, 4:42 pm

debsey wrote:

Depression is an illness, a real disease. It can be treated. This is why posts on imamother bashing therapy and therapists angers me so much. Robin Williams died of a treatable condition, which he obviously had to battle for much of his life. Do we want our children following the same path? Get help early and get them better! That's my motto. This is a warning to all parents out there. Get the illness treated early. Think about it - Robin Williams had it all - adoring fans, great career, talent, etc. he still died of the illness. Nothing replaces TREATMENT.

But people can also be treated and still be fighting the terrible illness. Its not a sure thing that if someone is being treated then everything is going to be hunky dory.

debsey

Wed, Aug 13 2014, 5:47 pm

shabbatiscoming wrote:

But people can also be treated and still be fighting the terrible illness. Its not a sure thing that if someone is being treated then everything is going to be hunky dory.

Oh, for sure. It's fighting for progress every step of the way. It's WORK, and it's hard. Someone undergoing treatment for depression should get every bit as much sympathy and support as someone undergoing chemo, but it doesn't happen, sadly. Depression - "oh, pull yourself up by the bootstraps." Chemo - "you poor thing, can I make you chicken soup?" There's no Chai Lifeline for kids of moms with PPD, for example.

shabbatiscoming

Wed, Aug 13 2014, 5:49 pm

debsey wrote:

There are support groups for family members of mentally ill people. Probably not many such support groups but I know of one at least, for wives of mentally ill men. A close friend goes to such a group and she said it keeps her sane in her marriage.

debsey

Wed, Aug 13 2014, 5:58 pm

shabbatiscoming wrote:

True, but the support is not on the same level as for a PHYSICAL illness, even though we now know that the neural wiring of people with depression is different, that there are genetic markers, and that it's clear that it has a biological component. People view it as a choice, rather than an affliction or an illness.

sequoia

Wed, Aug 13 2014, 5:58 pm

debsey wrote:

Exactly, this is what drives me nuts!

HonesttoGod

Thu, Aug 14 2014, 12:18 pm

sequoia wrote:

debsey wrote:

Exactly, this is what drives me nuts!

Yup me too.

As open and out there mental health illnesses such as PPD and Anxiety etc are "out there" and becoming more "common knowledge" it is equally still taboo. Hugely and sadly so.