A Little About Robin Williams And A Lot Of Deeper Discussions About Mental Health

The death of Robin Williams rocked us all on Monday night. He was a beloved actor, played some of our favorite characters ever in some of our favorite movies ever, and now he's dead. He's dead, not from natural causes, but from suicide. Williams had long battled the illnesses (that many of us refer to as "demons) addiction and depression, but because he was the funny man, the one that always made us smile and laugh, we assumed that all would be well. Until it wasn't.

I'm not here to preach, I'm not here to surmise or pretend that I know what Mr. Williams was going through in his final moments. I'm here to say that mental illness is something that needs to be addressed in our country. A country where those suffering from mental illnesses are cast off as being "weird", "unstable", "crazy", or "different". We all do it, even if we don't mean to. Mental illness can affect anyone. Even our heroes.

I have dealt with my own bouts of depression, of self harm, of dark thoughts. I am fortunate in that I was able to come out on the other side relatively unscathed, and have gone on to be a healthy, happy person who does something that I love for a living, but also has a voice for those who do not. I have some friends who fought those demons for so long that they simply gave up. Many of them are no longer with us. Thankfully a few of them are.

The thing about suicide - mental illness- all of it, is that in our culture, in our society, it's swept under the rug so often that those that are suffering often feel embarrassed to talk about it. They don't want to inconvenience the people around them with their problems. Then rock bottom happens.

I'm mostly just spouting out all of the thoughts from my brain to my fingers and into this blog right now, but the thing main point that I have in all of these words is this: be kind to each other. Be understanding. If it seems your friend is having a hard time, ask them about it. If they don't want to talk about it, understand that, but let them know that they can always talk to you.

And, also, remember that this is a number that can always be called: 1-800-273-8255. The folks at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline are always there to talk. And you know what, between the hours of 10am and 3pm every week day, so am I. You can always call and talk to me at 616-770-8957. I may not be a professional, but I know that you are important, and that you matter. I'm willing to talk to you about anything you'd like, even if you don't want to talk about what's bothering you.

Like I said, I'm not an expert on this subject (or any other subject, for that matter). I just wanted you to know that there are people out there that care about you. That there are people out there that understand that mental illness is real and is something that needs to be a bigger focus for all of us. And that I'm here for you. I always will be. Even when you don't want me to be, even when you don't think I should be, even when you think that no one is. Someone is always out there. Someone always cares. You are valuable. You are worth it. You are an amazing person who has so many thing to offer the world.