Robin Williams, Depression, Misinformation and Competence

August 21, 2014 § 2 Comments

Hi All, 

It took me a while to gather my thoughts on Robin Williams’ suicide and the aftermath. It seems like so many people were affected, I know I was. For many reasons. But the area that concerned me most in the aftermath was the (often well-intentioned) misinformation that people were posting all over the internet. 

I have a lot of thoughts on the topic as an individual and from a professional point of view. For right now, I’d like to share one of the better articles I’ve read on the topic. To Know Suicide: Depression Can Be Treated, but It Takes Competence by Kay Redfield Jamison.

 If you’re searching for help be careful who you trust with your thoughts, feelings & mental health. 

Enjoy the day,

Kiki 

RKW 

§ 2 Responses to Robin Williams, Depression, Misinformation and Competence

  • Spector says:

    Hello. Jamison’s article is good, far better than most due to her personal experience. But she does not at all address those who have been termed “treatment resistant” — an awful name seeming to implicate the sufferer, but only means that no drugs work on that person. A psychopharmacologist might say “oh, one just needs the right combination of drugs; trial and error….etc.” But if you look at the anecdotal evidence, thousands have tried many many combinations of drugs only to end up unhelped, or not infrequently, even worse, as sometimes, even a drug that does not help, can make things worse when you try to come off it.

    The drugs are not as easy a solution as Jamison implies, even with competence. They are also far less effective than their makers claim.

    This means there are countless people suffering immeasurably and with no end in sight. The clever aphorism “suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem” is an insult to those people, and would never — never — be used in reference to a person suffering from a horribly debilitating incurable so-called physical illness.

    My two cents. Thank you.

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