Quote: (12-12-2015 09:58 PM)CleanSlate Wrote:
I watched Good Will Hunting just last week. His acting skills never ceased to amaze me. But Robin Williams always seemed to emanate a deep inner sadness. I could see it in his eyes, like he was just about to burst into tears.
That's well spotted and something I consistently noticed too. Typical views of the suicidal person might involve absolutely obvious cues of outward sadness. But in the midst of what we both noticed, Robin was to most people one of the naturally funniest guys around, so talented in his impressions and versatility, either smiling himself or making his audience smile, to many people apparently one of the last people you would think would be found hanging dead. This just goes to show that you never know what is going on deep down.
Men are around 4 times more likely to kill themselves than are women. But women are so much more open about their sadness, and can cry at the drop of a hat. Who is the average psychiatrist more likely to believe to be suicidal?
Women are rumored to be depressed at a rate of 2-3x men, therefore, the man is anywhere from 8 to 12 times more likely to actually kill himself than the woman. Yet women are still placed before men as more vulnerable, and are given preferential treatment. Psychiatrists are taught to observe outward signs but are woefully inept at detecting the many and varied subtleties that form the bigger picture. Much of the most profound, soul-ripping sadness is buried very deep.
My suspicion is that due to obvious expectations of the man to remain "strong", even some of the most desperately and genuinely suicidal men will hide the fact out of shame for their self-perceived weakness. This leads to men either not seeking treatment at all, or, for those who do seek treatment, being seen as less of a suicide risk (despite the overwhelming numbers to the contrary) by nearly all professionals who attempt to assess them. Some might even see the men as being well, but just being "pussies", although of course professionals cannot write it in such terms. They instead pick from a plethora of convenient "personality disorders", maybe medicate them or maybe not, and tell them politely to GTFO.
Of course Robin had physical illnesses as well. It is well documented that the mechanisms of physical and "mental" pain overlap, and it is clear that the pain from his physical ailments made his emotional pain a lot more pronounced. It wasn't just a logical realization of "I have X, I am going to wither away soon enough anyway so I may as well die now." Many other people with serious, incurable physical illnesses by contrast seem to adopt a seemingly impossible positive lease of life upon diagnosis. They soldier through the stress of the physical pain and live life to the full until their time is up. We all have different dispositions. I'd say if I had been Robin, I would have probably killed myself as well, but that's just me. I know such defeatism is frowned upon around here, but everyone has their limits.
This is one guy who actually deserves his fame. Fame is not a meritocracy but someone like Robin growing up would instil in you the delusion that it is. I am glad that this man is at least suffering no longer.
