August 12, 2014- Robin Williams and Suicide

The recent death of Robin Williams was quite shocking to me as it was for many people.  Years ago I had made an audio recording of him telling that wonderful line from Good Morning Vietnam  " Sir seeing as how the VP is such a VIP, shouldn't we keep the PC on the QT cause if it leaks to the VC, he could end up MIA and then we all be put on KP. " Coincidentally, I had woken up Monday morning feeling somewhat blue and decided to play that on my way to work.   Of course I didn't know what would happen almost six hours later when I heard the news.

I have spoken before in my previous blogs about depression and suicide.   More so now when I do see my clients in my practice, it is extremely important for me to address and learn about that person's depression history including suicidal attempts and ideations.  At times, we get stuck in obtaining information for the sake of completing intakes that we almost forget to obtain the essence of what drives that person good or bad.

We need to understand that depression and suicide are linked together.  Recent studies show that over 60% of all people who die by suicide suffer from depression.  Having a bad day is quite different from someone who feels that everything in their life is hopeless.  Emotions which often fuels these negative thoughts are at times very difficult to manage.   Take anxiety for example.  Dealing with anxiety on a frequent basis can be very taxing to the body both physically and mentally.  When anxiety over major concerns are compounded by negative thoughts that stem from all or nothing thinking or overgeneralization, it is like putting gasoline into a fire.  Without coping tools to deal with the anxiety and thoughts, life can seem hopeless.

I always want to believe that there are situations that can always be approached in different ways.  Being in a hopeless situation feels very painful. More often than not those that attempt suicide are not thinking about dying. They’re thinking about ending the pain.

For those who may read my blog and of course those who may have been triggered by Robin Williams' suicide,  I ask you to examine what is going on in your own life.   If there are current situations that seem to want to drag you down that rabbit hole, please consider this: Life has a very quirky way of throwing very hard fast curve balls at you.  It is really how you deal with those fast balls that help you to grow as a person.   Remember the only person you need to prove anything to is yourself..