Did Robin Williams commit suicide?

63-year-old funny man Robin Williams was found dead in his house on Monday. According to the police, the cause of death was suicide due to asphyxiation, although an investigation is still on. The po

By: Nirmalya Dutta | | Updated: August 12, 2014 12:53 pm

63-year-old funny man Robin Williams was found dead in his house on Monday. According to the police, the cause of death was suicide due to asphyxiation, although an investigation is still on. The police added that emergency personnel found Mr Williams inside the home he shared with his wife, Susan Schneider, after a 911 call reported that man unconscious and not breathing. The mayor’s office of California State’s Marin county has been investigating what it said is a possible suicide of the 63-year-old Oscar winning actor-comedian, Efe reported. According to his publicist, Williams had been ‘battling severe depression’ in the period before his death. (Read: 7 other celebs who committed suicide)

The Marin County Sheriff’s office, however, said that it had tentatively concluded that Williams died by suicide, specifically ‘asphyxia’, although it provided no further details. The star of many Hollywood comedies was found unconscious and not breathing at his home near San Francisco, by paramedics called to the house and he was pronounced dead at the scene at 12.02 p.m. Williams starred in numerous Hollywood films, including ‘Good Morning, Vietnam’, ‘Dead Poets Society’, ‘Jumanji’, ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ and ‘Good Will Hunting’, winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for the latter in 1997.

He also received two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globes, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and five Grammy Awards in addition to pursuing a successful decades-long and highly acclaimed standup comedy career. Over the years, he had battled cocaine and alcohol addiction, as well as depression. Authorities have opened an investigation into the actor’s sudden death and an autopsy will be conducted Tuesday.

When you know someone who is suicidal…

Take them seriously. Suicidal people tend to leave hints for others.

Just being there for the person may sometimes be the best thing you can do. If you cannot be with him/her all the time, make sure someone else is.
Talk to the person regularly and help him/her believe that he/she will overcome any problem that is making them think of something as drastic as suicide. And do remember to really listen to them while they speak their heart out.
Make them feel good about themselves. Remind them of their achievements, their goals, their dreams. Surround them with their loved ones. Make them believe that life’s worth living.
If nothing seems to work, take him/her to a good counsellor or psychologist.

If you are prone to suicidal thoughts very often, here some things you can do to help yourself

Talk to someone before you act on your impulse. Thoughts of self-harm are highly intense, loaded with emotion. But they are fairly short-lived. Their intensity reduces by talking and/or crying it out. It takes a split second to act but if you let the impulse pass, the feeling passes by.
Communicate – with family, close ones, friends. If you cannot talk freely to anyone, a counsellor or psychologist can help you get a neutral view on what is happening.
Mission – ME FIRST! Write nice things about yourself (or get your good friends to write it for you) and paste in on your wall. Make yourself your first priority. Pamper yourself with things you like. Surround yourself with people you like..

Read more: How to deal with suicidal thoughts

What is depression?

The term depression is used to describe a long period of sadness. It can either refer to a person’s mood where he or she is feeling sad and dejected or to describe a debilitating mental illness called major depressive disorder. To feel sad during major life crises is normal but major depressive disorder refers to a condition where there is prolonged sadness without any link to life events. It’s important to remember that major depressive disorder is an illness and needs to be treated just like other ailments. Depression can affect a person emotionally as well as physically.

Common symptoms of depression include unhappiness, loss of interest in activities which were earlier pleasurable, loss of appetite, lack of energy and motivation, difficulty in concentrating, inability to make decisions and sleep problems (mainly insomnia). Chronic, untreated depression can induce suicidal thoughts in people. But it can be treated well with antidepressant drugs if people accept their problem and consider taking treatment. In this section, you’ll find articles on common triggers of depression like lack of sleep, hearing loss, migraine and obesity. You can find several options like exercising, meditation and certain food like yogurt, to prevent stress in your life that can lead to depression. Read more about depression – types, causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention.

With inputs from IANS

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Published: August 12, 2014 7:45 am | Updated:August 12, 2014 12:53 pm

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