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RIP Robin Williams


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Gutted, a brilliant comedian and actor. How someone who has brought so much joy to people and added so much to the world can suffer from depression just shows what an insidious and dangerous disease it is. It could affect any of us. RIP

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One of his lesser known films was 'one hour photo'.....it won't get highlighted like so many of his others,but truly shows the diversity of his abilities. It's genuinely unnerving character he play.

Loved him as a kid when he was in mork and mindy.....he was hilarious in stand up and improv.

 

Such a terrible loss,I'm truly saddened by this.

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One of his lesser known films was 'one hour photo'.....it won't get highlighted like so many of his others,but truly shows the diversity of his abilities. It's genuinely unnerving character he play.

 

A slow burner that one... needs watching a couple of times to get the depth to his performance IMO, perhaps because we're so used to not seeing that side of him.

 

The most tragic thing is that I think there was a lot of personal truth in that performance too.

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Very sad. Just watched him last night in Night at the Museum. He was a very verstaile actor and great comedian. Mental illness sucks and clearly affects many entertainers. Owen Wilson tried to take his own life too. I mention that because he was in the same movie last night. RIP. Great loss.

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Im probably in a minority here, but the fist thing that came to mind was "selfish"

 

Great actor, and a troubled mind, perhaps, but what a selfish thing to do.

 

Thats the thing though. When you get to a place like that you dont think rationally. I have been there so I know. It is an easy thing to throw at someone but trust me, it is not a selfish act, it is one born out o utter despartion.

 

It's hard. I can see why people would see it as 'selfish', and in some ways it is. But, as SOG says, for someone to get so far down the line as that you really have lost control to the illness.

 

Depression is often misunderstood, people often think it means just being sad all the time or being lazy, not getting out of bed or just moping around. It's hard for people who havn't experienced it first hand. It really can take a hold of sufferers, and sadly it can get to a point where you just aren't thinking - the illness truly can take over, and becomes all encompassing. For someone to contemplate, or worse still actually commit suicide they must be at a point of total despair and desperation. It really does ruin lives, not just of the those suffering the illness, but of those of their families too.

 

I'm fairly sure if you could speak to RW he would not have wanted to cause any pain to any of those close to him.

 

I see Alan Brazil is getting some stick for saying he has "no sympathy" and calling it "diabolical" on his TalkSport show this morning. Be that as it may, maybe making such comment so soon after the event was a little distasteful.

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Typical of Brazil though. I have heard some people say that stress and depression is the new back ache - meaning that it is hard to prove and easy for people to feign. Depression gets short shrift because, as with a broken arm or a heart condition, there is nothing to see. You may see it in someones behaviour but in my case my GP called it Smiling Depression because I used humour to mask what I was really feeling. I cant described how low I felt. I didnt mope about crying but I felt like I was at the bottom of a very deep, black hole with no way out. Not even having three young children helped. Winston Churchill suffered from depression. My GP says that about half the country are on "happy pills." It is a dreadful illness and it doesnt help when idiots like Brazil do not take it seriously. Fotunately for me I spent time in The Priory and they helped me through it. My youngest daughter now has Anorexia (another form of mental illness) so there is another mountain to climb. I watched the recent programme about Karen Carpeter. She had anorexia and died through over use of drugs to keep herself thin. Was she selfish? No, she was struggling with her self image and couldnt deal with the hand that fame dealt her. There are thousand and thousands of "ordinary" people who also suffer with a distorted self image - are they all selfish Alan?

 

Alan Brazil seems to spend his time (when he is not talking cr@p on TalkSport? eating and drinking to excess. With any luck the buffoon will end up like Mr Creosote.

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It's hard. I can see why people would see it as 'selfish', and in some ways it is. But, as SOG says, for someone to get so far down the line as that you really have lost control to the illness.

 

Depression is often misunderstood, people often think it means just being sad all the time or being lazy, not getting out of bed or just moping around. It's hard for people who havn't experienced it first hand. It really can take a hold of sufferers, and sadly it can get to a point where you just aren't thinking - the illness truly can take over, and becomes all encompassing. For someone to contemplate, or worse still actually commit suicide they must be at a point of total despair and desperation. It really does ruin lives, not just of the those suffering the illness, but of those of their families too.

 

Kelvin you have got it spot on, Its that point whe you hit that point of total dispair, sometimes you get to the point of no return , which is where RW got to.

Im sure he considered all the consequences but sadly he was in so much distress there was no going back on his thought process

 

while some will see it as selfish and some are idiots like brazil who have no understanding of depression

 

Depression is not about being hacked off at work , being told of at work or breakig up with a pertner etc ,

It is far far more deeper and serious than that.

 

The comments made by Alan Brazil and others are being totally disrespectful with their comments

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Typical of Brazil though. I have heard some people say that stress and depression is the new back ache - meaning that it is hard to prove and easy for people to feign. Depression gets short shrift because, as with a broken arm or a heart condition, there is nothing to see. You may see it in someones behaviour but in my case my GP called it Smiling Depression because I used humour to mask what I was really feeling. I cant described how low I felt. I didnt mope about crying but I felt like I was at the bottom of a very deep, black hole with no way out. Not even having three young children helped. Winston Churchill suffered from depression. My GP says that about half the country are on "happy pills." It is a dreadful illness and it doesnt help when idiots like Brazil do not take it seriously. Fotunately for me I spent time in The Priory and they helped me through it. My youngest daughter now has Anorexia (another form of mental illness) so there is another mountain to climb. I watched the recent programme about Karen Carpeter. She had anorexia and died through over use of drugs to keep herself thin. Was she selfish? No, she was struggling with her self image and couldnt deal with the hand that fame dealt her. There are thousand and thousands of "ordinary" people who also suffer with a distorted self image - are they all selfish Alan?

 

Alan Brazil seems to spend his time (when he is not talking cr@p on TalkSport? eating and drinking to excess. With any luck the buffoon will end up like Mr Creosote.

 

Excellent Post SOG, which I concur with totally

 

yes I get annoyed people using stress and depression as an excuse for not turning up for work , and too many doctors are too quick to sign people off work with stress or depression, Depression is not a one week or three week affliction. it last for many many months and in most cases years

Being hacked off with something is not depression

 

In the world of employment some folk who have breached work place rules suddenly go of with stress and or depression immediatley they are asked to account for their actions.

 

Depression does not suddenly happen , Like SOG, MY Black dog regularly comes to visit me. I have coping strategies at times but sometimes you just sink into the very deep black hole. there are no ladders or ropes and your mind is very much in negative mode, Thats depression

Its hard to explain and articulate how bad you are feeling at times to others because you dont want to burden others, and CPN's tend to be a waste of space , as they are not there when you need them

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I have heard some people say that stress and depression is the new back ache - meaning that it is hard to prove and easy for people to feign. Depression gets short shrift because, as with a broken arm or a heart condition, there is nothing to see.

 

I saw a friend post this earlier, I thought some of these illustrations were pretty spot on:

 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/hnigatu/comics-that-capture-the-frustrations-of-depression

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Just Googled Brazil and it seem he has previous for ranting on about depression on his show back in 2011. he clearly has no understanding of what it is. Strange as apparently he was "fiddled with" whilst at Celtic in the 70s so you'd think he would have some understanding how things can affect you.

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Give it a rest you great big bunch of cry babies and pull yourselves together. No one on here knew him and his death means about as much to me as, the roughly 150,000 people a day that die, who I also didn't know.

 

Celebrity worship is nearly as bad as religious worship. Our lives all have the same value, nothing more, nothing less...

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Give it a rest you great big bunch of cry babies and pull yourselves together. No one on here knew him and his death means about as much to me as, the roughly 150,000 people a day that die, who I also didn't know.

 

Celebrity worship is nearly as bad as religious worship. Our lives all have the same value, nothing more, nothing less...

 

 

Mates with Alan Brazil by any chance?

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Give it a rest you great big bunch of cry babies and pull yourselves together. No one on here knew him and his death means about as much to me as, the roughly 150,000 people a day that die, who I also didn't know.

 

Celebrity worship is nearly as bad as religious worship. Our lives all have the same value, nothing more, nothing less...

 

In case you hadn't noticed GM, the (very valid) discussion was about depression, not specifically about Robin Williams.

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Give it a rest you great big bunch of cry babies and pull yourselves together. No one on here knew him and his death means about as much to me as, the roughly 150,000 people a day that die, who I also didn't know.

 

Celebrity worship is nearly as bad as religious worship. Our lives all have the same value, nothing more, nothing less...

 

Of those 150,000 who die each day, how many of them were well known to millions of people all over the world by bringing them joy and entertainment in their films/stand up etc?

 

Yeah, nothing wrong with feeling sad about someone who brought a lot of joy to people.

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Thanks for adding this KRG. Good article.

 

In The Priory they used to make a point of telling us that we were stonger than we thought we were. This on the basis that we had gone beyond the point where most people would just give up to the point where the wheels we well an truly off of the wagon and our systems could take no more. I was lucky enough to have insurance as The Priory doesnt come cheap and I received excellent support. A cousin of mine wasnt so lucky and, a number of years before I was ill, took her own life. We knew she had issues but didnt realise how bad things were.

 

Spike Milligan suffered from depression and did Tony Hancock. A number of comedians seem to fall foul of this disease which makes it even stranger as you'd think they were having fun!

 

Given the numbers you can be sure that many people on here are depressed (and I am not having a cheap pop at the so called bedwetters).

 

This is an area that needs greater understanding (clearly Mr Brazil could do with some enlightenment) and it is good to see articles such as this being published.

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As someone who suffers with anxiety (which is obviously a less serious kind of depression) I completely sympathise with those that suffer from depression. I know when I have had episodes in the past that have lasted for weeks it is all-encompassing, but the people it affects most are those around you, whether they be a spouse or children.

 

Make no mistake those who deride, depression is a very real and very serious illness, and it's effects are far reaching. You will realise if it ever touches you.

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Thanks for adding this KRG. Good article.

 

In The Priory they used to make a point of telling us that we were stonger than we thought we were. This on the basis that we had gone beyond the point where most people would just give up to the point where the wheels we well an truly off of the wagon and our systems could take no more. I was lucky enough to have insurance as The Priory doesnt come cheap and I received excellent support. A cousin of mine wasnt so lucky and, a number of years before I was ill, took her own life. We knew she had issues but didnt realise how bad things were.

 

Spike Milligan suffered from depression and did Tony Hancock. A number of comedians seem to fall foul of this disease which makes it even stranger as you'd think they were having fun!

 

Given the numbers you can be sure that many people on here are depressed (and I am not having a cheap pop at the so called bedwetters).

 

This is an area that needs greater understanding (clearly Mr Brazil could do with some enlightenment) and it is good to see articles such as this being published.

 

Stephen Fry

Owen Wilson

 

To name another two...

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Liked his early stuff but Rudebox was s**t. RIP Bobster.

 

If I'm honest, I really didn't like any of the stuff of his that I saw, which was only really the well-known films and mork & mindy. But it's a very sad way to die. They mentioned his alcoholism on the BBC report earlier, I hadn't heard that before.

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If I'm honest, I really didn't like any of the stuff of his that I saw, which was only really the well-known films and mork & mindy. But it's a very sad way to die. They mentioned his alcoholism on the BBC report earlier, I hadn't heard that before.

 

Whooooosh.;)

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I grew up watching films like Hook and Jumanji - they formed a pretty big part of my childhood. Later on I discovered some of his stand-up and the more dramatic roles he played in Good Will Hunting, and one of the most underrated films of most recent years (imo) World's Greatest Dad. He'll probably be remembered as a funny guy, but he was a brilliant actor too - without the ego that usually comes with a talent like his.

 

A supremely talented guy, who seems to be universally liked. It's just sad that his demons got to him, and he won't be the last.

 

RIP

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I have to admit that I have no idea what depression is like, and (I don't think) anyone close to me suffers/suffered from it - so my 'selfish' comment was a complete one sided view, and apologise if I offended anyone.

 

I think my view comes from a kid when someone committed suicide by running in front of my dad's bus, and ever since then I've had that (right/wrong) viewpoint that the person is almost taking the easy way out and leaving those left behind to deal with the fall out.

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