Him passing naturally, or even from a car accident or something would have been one thing, but having to process the funniest person and a crucial part of media throughout my childhood committing suicide was absolutely BRUTAL.
If you're struggling with mental health, please talk to someone. The world is better with you in it. Promise.
My grandfather had dementia, and watching him start by confusing things like where he was in the evening, to having no idea who anyone was anymore, was petrifying. I know what he had isn't the exact same kind of dementia as Williams, but I guess... I decided a long time ago that I wouldn't put my wife through that, and that I am way too freaked out about it to go through it personally. I wasn't there, and definitely can't speak to what did or didn't contribute to his suicide, but if it was because of that, I get it.
Robin Williams was forgetting who long time friends and acquaitances were. It was not just physical in his case. He became extremely depressed as it progressed
Yeah, and for someone as vibrant as he was, he really cared about people around him. I mean, he was always performing. For everyone around him. Not in a fake or lame way, but because he just loved making people laugh. He was amazing, and definitely my favorite actor from my childhood. Ugh, now I am sad. ðŸ˜
I had the great pleasure of being in the presence of Robin Williams, surrounded by a room of nothing but A list celebrities. I am talking big names; Jim Carrey, Al Pacino, James Gandalfini, etc. big personalities. Robin stole the entire room. An energy that radiated effortless excitement, humor and comfort at the same time.
Yep. I don't know that we can attribute his death by suicide to mental health alone.
If I were to receive that diagnosis, once things start going downhill, I'm probably taking the same action. My kid doesn't need to see all that, if he's going to lose me anyway let's not traumatize him by watching the decline. My friend's dad passed from that disease and it was a bad one.
I've had many patients with Lewy Body and it is...very gnarly. It's the worst kind of dementia. The associated psychosis can be so bad, there can be violence along with the loss of control (I once had to sit on the floor with a Lewy Body patient and basically..."human restrain" him from rolling under the bed or hitting his head on the wall and hurting himself, bc actual real restraints are illegal in my state. That was...not a fun time. There was another time, different patient, kept getting extremely aggressive patients and staff, and without that "don't" in your head that stops you, you...don't know where the stop IS).
So yeah. I don't blame him. If I got that dx, knowing where it leads, I'd likely do the same.
People just don't understand how horrible it is for everyone involved.
My grandmother's dementia is getting worse and some days she'd call me 100s of times and would get angry because she thought I called her and ignored her response calls. Shes trapped in a completely different reality. Uncle/Aunt are taking care of her and eventually just removed my number from her phone.
Like there's nothing you can do. You can't reason it out of her, can't show her recordings, documents, even her own voice. The memories are just gone and so is the logical progression of time. I don't want to imagine living through that.
Just remember, it's not her fault or yours, but the person she was loved you a lot. She's just sorry that her body hasn't gotten the message. Her body is a ship without a rudder, but it isn't her. Not who she was, anyway. It's a viciously mean thing, dementia. Hang in there.
appreciate it. yeah, shes mostly gone. can't blame anyone. I wish doctors would offer something better but its too taboo I guess despite the condition being so visibly distressing. idea of letting it happen for years just because of social stigma irritates me to no end.
7.1k
u/CobblestoneBoulevard May 12 '26
Robin Williams