Robin Williams' Death

I was in Second Year College when we watched the film entitled Dead Poet Society and that is the film where I met Robin Williams. Honestly I don’t know much about him but the movie is good. It’s all about him being a teacher of what students considered as boring subject which is poetry but because of his unique approach of teaching he was able to get the attention of his students or better yet he was able to make the students loved the subject.  All of us can relate to that movie because we are all future educators, since then I became a Robin Williams fan. Needless to say I was shocked when I heard the news that he had committed suicide because of depression. I know I’m just one of those people who were saddened by his death but still I decided to learn more about depression, clinical depression specifically and how it was able to lured one of the world greatest comedians. I borrowed a good explanation of depression from Philippine Daily Inquirer. Here read it.

Depression is a mental illness and it isn’t the same as getting the blues, angst, emo, drama or even the occasional bad hair day that many people have. Clinical depression is a serious, legitimate illness. It’s not a character flaw, a sign of weakness or a personality defect. Being a depressive person doesn’t mean that he or she is permanently incapacitated, untrustworthy or out of his or her mind. In many cases, it’s a chemical imbalance, and no amount of telling a person to “snap out of it” is going to work if he or she is not well.

The next question would be to what extent exactly “not being well” meant? The answer is this: depression ranges in seriousness from mild, temporary episodes of sadness to severe, persistent depression. Clinical depression is more severe form of depression, also known as major depression or major depressive disorder.

Here is the list of several symptoms; having five or more of them (episodes of sadness) consistently over a two-week period, “most of the day, nearly every day,” could indicate illness. The behavior includes feeling sad, empty, tearful or even irritable; reduced interest or pleasure in most activities; extremes like significant weight loss or weight gain, decrease or increase in appetite, sleeping too much or too late, or restlessness or slower movement; fatigue; difficulty concentrating; and the most insidious: the thought of or actual attempts at suicide.

Just like everyone else I want to know what’s the difference between depression and sadness and how will we know which is which? According to what I have read it is difficult to have an exact definition of depression, as different persons experience varying degrees of it. But the distinct difference is that depression impairs the individual’s capacity to function efficiently. With depression they are unable to carry out their acts of everyday life. People may feel sad due to challenges, setbacks and loss; however they have the capacity to use personal coping skills to overcome these emotions. It is when they are unable to overcome this low mood, and when it affects their ability to interact with society that we consider the possibility of ongoing depression. 

Depression a big no wonder Robin Williams ended his life but I'd like to think that he is bigger. Now that all is clear. I hope people will find this article helpful so that no more thought of or actual attempts at suicide will happen I know that it’s impossible .But there’s always hope. It’s sad that Robin Williams was defeated by depression. May he rest in peace.