Williams’ death calls for more sensitivity to topic of depression


On Monday, Robin Williams’ daughter, Zelda, returned to Twitter for the first time since Aug. 13 with this inspiring message: “Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself,” a quote by Harvey Fierstein, who co-starred with Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire. Her tweet seems to be a response to everyone who so harshly judged her father’s suicide.

According to the Los Angeles Times, publicist Mara Buxbaum said that Robin Williams had been “battling severe depression of late,” and that his death was “a tragic and sudden loss.” Though Buxbaum said “[t]he family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time,” one man couldn’t respect such a request.

In his broadcast on Fox News, anchor Shepard Smith called Williams a coward for his suicide. On the morning of Williams’ death, Smith said, “[S]omething inside you is so horrible or you’re such a coward or whatever the reason that you decide that you have to end it. Robin Williams, at 63, did that today.” Smith’s lack of respect for the comedian’s death sparked outrage. While the world grieved over the loss of such an incredible comedian, Smith somehow found it appropriate to pass judgment on the situation. To be so disparaging on such a tragic day is both despicable and disrespectful to anyone who loved and cherished Williams.

Depression is something often misunderstood by those who have not experienced it firsthand. According to the Mayo Clinic, it is a “mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest.” It also affects an individual’s emotions, thinking process and behavior. Those who are wrongfully critical of Williams’ choice of suicide to end his life need to understand that depression cannot always be fixed, even with medication and therapy.

When Smith’s comment about Williams’ death went viral, media outrage forced him to publicly apologize for his poor choice of words. According to Variety, Smith told TVNewser, “The last thing I would ever suggest about a man I know nothing about personally, is that he’s a coward. That goes against everything I am. If those words I used so innocently[sic] offended his family, from the bottom of my heart, I could not be more sorry.” What must be noted about this statement is that it shows how much this apology lacks sincerity. Smith said that he used the words “so innocently” and that if they “offended his family” he was sorry — not once does he admit that what he said was truly wrong.

One man’s lack of empathy and inability to understand the medical aspects of depression points to a larger underlying social issue. Often, when someone with depression comes forward — even just to loved ones — he or she is misunderstood. In a Huffington Post blog, writer Marilyn Sewell wrote, “When [people affected by depression] dare to speak the truth to intimates or friends, [they] see bewilderment and frustration in [others’] eyes.”

Smith’s statement reveals how much of society still lives in denial about the causes, treatments and effects that depression has on a life. After Williams’ death, however, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and similar crisis lines received almost twice as many calls as usual.

Though Williams’ death was both premature and terribly tragic, it has sparked an initiative for both those affected with depression to seek help and for those unaffected to reach out and try to understand.
Chelsea Hernandez is a senior majoring in English (creative writing). Her column, “Foot in Mouth,” runs Wednesdays.