Robin Williams, 1951 – 2014

Feeling compelled to comment on the loss of Robin Williams. I’ve seen comments of sadness, anger, and confusion. I am saddened by the loss. It breaks my heart that another person can feel that they have no other options and that the only way out is through suicide. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to all those out there that are struggling with depression.

I also think suicide is confusing. Some say it’s selfish. I understand why people feel anger. “How can someone take their own life, don’t they realize how much they have?” It does destroy all those left behind, but I personally don’t think it’s selfish act. It goes against our basic human nature to survive. I think there’s more going on than we realize… (and I’m not talking about drugs, mental disease, and all the other variables the medical community associates with suicide)

 

These are old statistics, but did you know that:

Suicide takes the lives of nearly 30,000 Americans every year.
Many who attempt suicide never seek professional care.
Over half of all suicides occur in adult men, ages 25-65.
Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S.
Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-old Americans.
An average of one person dies by suicide every 16.2 minutes.
Source: SAVE

 

Rodger Andrews, 1946 – 1975
I lost my dad to suicide when I was 5 years old. I haven’t written about it previously. The impact of my dad taking his own life wasn’t just the end of his life, but it profoundly changed the path of my life and the life of my brother. I wasn’t old enough […]