RIP Robin Williams

I SUSPECT I was not alone in shedding a little tear on the passing of Robin Williams yesterday, knowing he will no longer grace our TV or movie screens with his madcap humour.

But there is a great sadness in me that again someone who brought so much joy to others left the world seemingly feeling alone.

This is not a criticism of anyone in his life, especially not this wife or children who are clearly shattered by the loss of a loving husband and father.

Depression is not something I truly understand, I think if you do you are often a sufferer of it. But my empathy for those who do is immense. I hear all the time how 'How he is he/she depressed when he/she earns so much money/has such an easy life/has a wonderful family/career.'

But that is far too simplistic view of the illness and does not take into account the one person who matters, the sufferer themselves.

Imagine if you will life as a major movie star or sports star, you reach a huge high in your career with an Oscar or a huge movie role or the winning goals to win your club a trophy.

People around you then expect that every time you walk in front of a camera or on the football pitch and you put pressure on yourself to deliver.

Should things not go well, a movie fails or the sports star gets injured, depression can lurk in the dark corner waiting to pounce.

No amount of fancy houses and cars, a whopping bank balance or gorgeous wife and kids will offset depression, you can't fight the big black shadow off that easily.

Everyone who is lucky enough not to have met this shadowy figure needs to pledge to understand those who have and help in anyway they can.

We talk and understand cancer openly, it's time we did the same for depression. Don't look at person's wealth or fame, look at the figure in front of you.

Robin Williams touched the lives of many, made many people laugh and cry in equal measure yet felt so troubled he felt compelled to end his life.

We should remember his comedy, his wonderful range of acting and the moments which made you laugh so hard you almost wet yourself.

But also remember his depression, if we can stop just one person from replicating what happened in a mansion in California on Monday in a council house in Leeds next week then we might have a better and more understanding world.

RIP Robin, thank you for the memories, you were a comedy legend who has gone too soon. I hope you have found peace now and that in time so will your family and friends.

Asda’s gaffe shows mental health is still a ‘joke’

THIS blog was going to be about football or some other mundane thought rattling in my head, but thanks to Asda, it’s an angry rant.

You may have seen that the store has apologised this evening for trying to sell a ‘Mental Patient Halloween Costume’.

Oh it gets better... it even came with the strapline ‘Everyone will be running away from you in fear in this mental patient fancy dress costume’.

Oh it gets better again....the costume is a blood soaked shirt with meat cleaver! Yes because Asda’s wonderful creative department think everyone with mental health issues has been on a rampage recently.

For crying out loud it’s 2013, we have hybrid cars, TVs the size of a small country, we manage many diseases, we deliver babies in women’s homes, we send humans into space so why the F*** is it acceptable to a) make sick jokes about mental health and b) still not have serious discussions about the subject.

Why on earth can a major supermarket sell costumes like this but people even with mildest depression are told to ‘cheer up’?

Why on earth can we make jokes and sport stars with depression are told to ‘grow up’ and why do people still back away from those with any form of mental health problem.

I haven’t shared this with many but my mum is slowly succumbing to dementia and over the last 2 years I have seen people, friends even, back away from seeing her because they don’t understand what is happening.

That is not to say they are bad people, far from it but an example of how uneducated we are about all mental illnesses; from depression, personality disorders, ADHD and bi polar to Alzheimer’s and dementia.

None of it can be cured, just managed, the sufferer doesn’t pick the illness, the illness picks them. Many have a brush with depression, I hit rock bottom one January night and all sorts of very dark thoughts came to me.

Only by speaking very quickly about how I was feeling (because I was so shocked at the thoughts) to my wife and her gentle affection and listening ear pulled me back sharply.

Some are like me, the lightest brush and a quick scare, some are not. We should not mock, we should listen, we should not joke, we must support.

If you read this and agree with me, great more power to you, if you read it and realise something is wrong then talk to someone.

Plenty of people are walking and talking today, living with an illness, but guess what they aren’t hacking people to death!

Shame on you Asda, f****** shame on you.

Visit www.mind.org.uk www.rethink.org www.youngminds.org.uk www.sane.org.uk www.together-uk.org or type mental health into a search engine.