We have all heard by now about Robin Williams. Williams, who spent his life making people happy, struggled with mental illness and addiction. He struggled with drugs and alcohol over the years, checking himself into a rehab a month ago. Anyone who has struggled with depression knows just how hopeless one can feel at times.
I can remember Williams all the way to Mork and Mindy, granted, the episodes I saw were reruns, I still remember. I loved Mrs. Doubtfire, where Williams' character struggles to keep close to his kids after getting divorced, going so far as to dress up as a woman to become his kids' nanny. However, the most moving role of Williams' career (for me) was that of What Dreams May Come. While this movie was not a blockbuster success, it is both touching and sad. Williams goes to the depths of hell to bring back his grieving wife after she commits suicide after the loss of their two kids.
I myself have struggled with depression all of my adult life. Looking back on my teenage years, I was depressed then too. Depression isn't something that you can just shake off, you are not simply "in a funk." Depression is a chemical imbalance within your brain, it isn't simply a mood. My father is someone who does not understand why I take medication for my depression. He wants to know what is going wrong in my life, something has got to be making me unhappy. That's not the case. I take medication to feel remotely normal. Normal as in, not tired, grumpy or sad. Even though I take medication, and feel so much better on it, the sadness is always there, quietly lingering in the background.
