Robin Williams and the Final Solution

I think many people, especially those coping with stress and illness, have given some serious thought to how the comedian Robin Williams dealt with his. I’m sure I don’t know how great his stresses were, but as a public onlooker, he seemed to have had it all: fame, wealth, family, friends, public adoration. Inside, however, he must have been in great agony to have hanged himself.

Media reports since his death ate the age of 63 are that he was battling depression. His wife, Susan Schneider, said that he had been in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. According to the National Institutes of Health, Parkinson's is a movement disorder which attacks the nerve cells in the brain, and results in trembling of the hands, arms, legs and face, eventually leading to slowness of movement, coordination problems, and trouble walking or doing simple tasks. It is a progressive disease and only gets worse over time.

Schneider said in a statement to the media, “Robin spent so much of his life helping others. Whether he was entertaining millions on stage, film or television, our troops on the frontlines, or comforting a sick child -- Robin wanted us to laugh and to feel less afraid. Since his passing, all of us who loved Robin have found some solace in the tremendous outpouring of affection and admiration for him from the millions of people whose lives he touched. His greatest legacy, besides his three children, is the joy and happiness he offered to others, particularly to those fighting personal battles."

She continued, "Robin's sobriety was intact and he was brave as he struggled with his own battles of depression, anxiety as well as early stages of Parkinson's Disease, which he was not yet ready to share publicly.”

I hope I am not out of place sharing some personal thoughts. While I am saddened about his passing, and sympathize with him because of his stresses, I cannot be comfortable with how he failed to cope with them. His suicide gives a very bad message to everyone suffering from depression and stresses both physical and emotional.

His wife agreed with this when she said, “It is our hope in the wake of Robin’s tragic passing, that others will find the strength to seek the care and support they need to treat whatever battles they are facing so they may feel less afraid."

The media reminds us that other celebrities who are battling Parkinson's include actor Michael J. Fox, boxing legend Muhammad Ali, evangelist Billy Graham, politician Janet Reno, and singer-song writer Johnny Cash. Others who had Parkinson’s were Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, photographer Margaret Bourke-White, artist Salvador Dali, actors Deborah Kerr, Vincent Price, and Michael Redgrave, and Pope John Paul II.

I’ve been depressed, too. Often. A freelance writer for more than forty years with uncertain income and a lot of publisher rejection is bound to be stressed and depressed at times. Once when the bills were coming in the mail like snowflakes in January and I had less than a dollar to my name, I even thought of putting a plastic bag over my head. But then I told myself that God wouldn’t like it if I did that. He gave me life and only He should take it away from me. So at times when I feel extra-stressed or depressed, I tell my Inner Bully to go to hell. I tell myself, I WILL NOT GIVE UP. I REFUSE TO GIVE UP!

We probably never will know what caused Robin Williams to take his own life, but a writer friend emailed me about his knowledge of the actor. My friend doesn’t know about TMS and I doubt Williams did, but my friend’s thoughts lead me to suspect that the actor was “a perfect storm for TMS.” I quote my friend now:

“I met Robin Williams three times while doing book tours in the 1980s and, on each occasion, I sensed that he was completely insincere and desperate to be the center of attention by doing anything antic, like a child throwing a tantrum in order to be noticed. He was always “on,” like a shark that must keep moving to survive.

“I thought his true talent was that he was artfully able to control his manic behavior by transitioning it into comedy. His foremost comedic idol was (deleted here) who told me that: “Robin isn’t fooling anyone. We all know he is certifiable.” The comic said this with a straight face.”

There was more, but it became too detailed to share here. I just share this much in hope that it can help others with depression. Have faith in God to help cope with stress and depression. Seek professional and theological help. In its own way, the TMSWiki.org is doing all it can to help by offering Dr. Sarno TMS knowledge and techniques leading to healthy, happy lives.

Your thoughts on all of this will be most welcome and also can help others.

 

My heart goes out to anyone with enough pain that they cannot endure any more. I'm not sure it's possible to fully comprehend another's pain, even a person we know well, and more so someone we only know through the media and hearsay. I think one of the roots of TMS, at least for me personally, is having been shamed and judged for not being good enough, or handling my emotions well, or living up to someone else's expectations of what I should be doing (or not doing) with my life. I would not like to ever see myself do this to another precious human being. I hope Robin has at last found peace, and love, and joy.

 

I think the straw that finally broke poor Robin's back was imminent bankruptcy. His 650 acre estate in the wine country was on the chopping block and his cliff side mansion overlooking the Pacific and the GG Bridge also. He was living in relatively modest digs for a celebrity of his magnitude on the bay with a view of San Quentin. Although he's made huge amounts from his movies, 30 million here to an ex-wife here and 30 million there to another ex-wife can quickly deplete the portfolio. He was a very generous man who gave a lot and maybe loved too much. I'm not buying the Parkinson's as the critical last straw, there are those who carry on with it for many years such as Michael J. Fox. I think TMS fear of aging, heavy financial burdens and the BIG ones, life time struggles with alcohol and cocaine addiction. I've seen him in person and he was a comic genius and very generous loving human. He may have loved too much, and needed to love himself more--money cannot buy happiness or love.