Robin Williams Suicide Summary

Summary of Robin Williams: Depression Alone Rarely Causes Suicide During his life, Robins Williams had a wide variety of roles. He was very funny in some movies, and others were much more somber and melancholy with bits of humor tossed in. He was loved by all, and after his apparent suicide in August of 2014 there were a lot of questions from people about Williams’ mental health and mental health in general. Williams sought treatment for severe depression, and many automatically labeled that as the reason for his death.

Suicide however is typically caused by more than just depression. Many things increase one’s risk for suicide, including substance abuse, past attempts, the severity of depression symptoms, and bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder highly influences suicide, as it frequently goes unnoticed for a very long time, and can be mistaken for general depression and irritability. In 2006, Williams had an interview with Terry Gross from Fresh Air in which he said he had depressive and manic episodes, but had never been diagnosed with clinical depression or bipolar disorder. He also discussed his past with abuse of cocaine and alcohol, and his time in rehab.

Depression is more than just feeling sad. It

It is however involved to a certain extent. Serotonin is linked to memory and learning, and one study found that “people with depression that attempt suicide tend to have shorter attention spans and worse memory compared to those with depression who do not attempt suicide”. This occurs because people with depression have trouble breaking negative recurring thought patterns. The thought patterns inhibit the ability to learn new information. Efforts can be made to fix this, such as Cognitive Behavioral therapy and medication. This gets difficult with substance abuse, particularly alcohol. About 60% of those who commit suicide had alcohol in their system when they