Jeff and Ashley Lamb

From my Facebook. Posted on August 13, 2014, 2 days after Robin Williams’ death.

There has been a lot of negativity surrounding the passing of Robin Williams. Comments have been made calling him “selfish” and “cowardly”, among other things. People are wondering why he would do this. After all, he was famous, wealthy, loved around the world. None of that means anything. 

Depression doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t care that you should be happy or that you want to be happy. Depression is not an on/off switch. It is a chemical imbalance in the brain. Yes, there are things that can help but they may not always be successful. These are all things that the people doing the name calling do not understand. I’m willing to bet these people have never battled depression themselves or lost someone to it. If they had, they probably wouldn’t be so quick to make such judgmental comments. I won’t lie, there was a time that I also believed suicide was selfish and cowardly. Then my world changed and I got educated. It’s sad that that’s what it took but it’s the truth.

The excessive media coverage is also unhelpful. How can his family be expected to grieve properly? Really, the grieving process is lifelong but this initial time is very important and they deserve some privacy. Yes, he was known worldwide and the world should be informed but anything beyond that is unnecessary. The media has also gone overboard in their description of his death. We really don’t need to know every detail of how he took his life. For some, myself included, it brings up painful images and memories that no one should ever have to experience.

I’ve also been thinking about all those who are grieving that didn’t know him. I was pretty upset at finding out about his passing, especially the method. Is it weird to mourn the loss of a stranger? Then I thought about it. I don’t think it’s strange to feel sadness over the loss of someone who brought so much joy and happiness and laughter to the world.

While he is now no longer in pain and no longer battling his own personal demons, the world is definitely a darker place in his absence. My thoughts go out to his family and loved ones. May he rest in peace.