Originally Posted by AllyStitches

I guess I just want to chime in here too.

I've seen a lot of comments intimating that suicide is the easy way out, comparing Robin's struggle with that of folks who have fought cancer or other diseases, combined with the idea that he had no right to make the choice to commit suicide when he wasn't facing terminal illness. Don't you know that Robin fought for his life too? Day in and day out-- addiction, depression, Parkinson's Disease? That sounds like a heck of a fight to me, and ultimately, he lost that fight. Any one of those things would put the average person into a tailspin, and Robin was dealing with all three. We are lucky we had him as long as we did. He showed up in the world, went to work and made movies that COUNTED. They are unforgettable. He made a difference in ALL of our lives.

I want to say that Depression is an illness-- a disease-- that kills people. It can be just as terminal as a physical illness. It's terribly difficult to treat for various reasons, just like some physical illnesses, like cancer, Parkinson's Disease, ALS, MS and others, are difficult to treat. I don't know the suicide rates of Depression sufferers-- but isn't it clear by now that Depression is just as real as any of these? It can be just as difficult to get out of bed and show up, care for your family, or do your job.

Until our society understands that sometimes suicide is not a CHOICE, we are going to have difficulty making changes to allow people to get the help they need. If someone is affected by depression or other mental illness and commits suicide-- often they have not made a CHOICE. They were forced into the action by the state of their illness. The control that gives power to a CHOICE is gone, it doesn't exist anymore. Depression isn't something you can talk yourself out of or pull yourself up by the bootstraps and feel better. I mean, look, Robin was an avid cyclist-- do you know how uplifting cycling is? My longest ride was 80 miles, and I can tell you right now that there is no better drug to help one's spirits. I've ridden some of the same routes he did. If he could have pulled himself up by his bootstraps and gone on a bike ride to feel better, he would have-- any cyclist would. BUT HE COULDN'T BECAUSE HE WAS SICK. Just like you can't ride with a broken leg, you can't ride with a broken brain! Most cyclists are avidly into nutrition, and committed to exercise. These are healthy people!!

One more thing: People say that suicide is selfish. Many people who commit suicide are convinced that their loved ones are better off without them. In that respect, suicide is not selfish-- it's selfless.

I hope that we can find a way to offer mental health services to people who need it. It's terribly difficult to get help in our day and age.

I guess I just want things to be better, and I want this to be the last suicide that I'm faced with in my life. I don't want families to suffer this sadness anymore. I want peace and contentment for folks who suffer. No one deserves to live with the kind of pain that Depression brings. Not the individual or their loved ones.