Robin Williams death and how hard Depression can really be
Written on 12th Aug 2014 by Alex Lowery
I have written quite a few articles about anxiety, but one mental health problem that often seems to accompany anxiety, and can often be even worse is Depression. This is another common issue for those with autism, and I thought now was an appropriate time to write about it.
This isn’t about autism per say but, the famous Comedian and actor, Robin Williams has just passed away. To me he portrayed the Genie in Aladdin so well, he made the film for me I just love watching the Genie and would laugh so much at the way he portrayed the Genie.
He was suffering from severe Depression, and it seems like he committed suicide as a result.
If one of the most funny & light-hearted Comedians could be so significantly affected by Depression that it would eventually lead to suicide, then this shows just how serious Depression can be.
Robin Williams wasn’t autistic as far as we can know, but both anxiety and Depression are particularly common among people on the autistic spectrum. Being bullied by others, the difficulties experienced by those with autism, and simply living life when you’re on the spectrum can be extremely hard going to say the least!
For these reasons, it’s important to get the right support needed to avoid these mental health issues, not just for people with autism, (although with autism they may be particularly prone to these issues) but people in general. This is a particular problem with autism because last year when I was very anxious the mental health nurse said there was no-one who specialsed in autism that she could send me to.
Depression can effect anyone at any time and it kills!
I have a lot of anxiety issues, but I’ve had very few moments of Depression. I’ve only properly experienced Depression once three years ago when I was 17, and it really sucked! At that time, I felt worse than I had done in over a decade! I remember even saying “If I had the choice of being medically ill (for example a cold or cough, or even an asthma attack, I have had some very serious asthma attacks so I am not minimising them) or mentally ill, I’d have chosen medically ill, even if I had a severe case of the flu, and would have to have loads of injections which I absolutely hate! Would I say the same if it was a choice of Depression or some serious illness? That’s how horrible it was!
Even what I experienced was mild by the standards of Depression, so that just shows how serious it can be! The problems I was experiencing were shortly over-come by support, but if this wasn’t the case, it could have got worse and worse. I think I could have done myself harm.
I don’t get Depression now, partly because there’s not many things in my life that could really cause it. However, I still have moments of extreme frustration at how hard life is for me. I just wish I could just get on in life easily without so many barriers. Despite this, I am doing well in life. I’ve got a job doing Public Speaking about autism, I’m inspiring others, and I’m even getting a book published. However, I couldn’t do this without support and that is sometimes very hard for one to accept and I do think that if I wasn’t doing all that I’m doing with the right support, I could very well be in a state of Depression right now. When children with autism become adults, they often fall off a cliff, because there’s just very few services out there to help them, and this is bound to cause mental health issues. It just shows how important it really is to support those with autism to achieve as much out of life as possible.
On a more serious note, if you have experienced Anxiety or Depression, don’t let it rule your life! Learn ways to cope with it, get whatever support you need and try to get as much out of life as possible. I don’t mean to sound cheesy and cliche, but I believe that if you stick with a positive attitude about life, no matter how hard it can be, mental health can be less of an issue, and you can even achieve more with the right attitude. Now, that doesn’t mean that when you work hard at something and believe you can eventually do it that you’ll be able to do it, but it does mean that you can achieve as much as possible. I am now learning this. Last year my anxiety issues were really at a bad level, but (while they are still issues) I am slowly learning ways to deal with them. This is very important! If you always have a negative attitude, you’re likely never going to get anywhere.
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