(Aug. 13, 2014) Comedian Robin Williams, who died of asphyxiation after hanging himself this week, has already been removed from Everyday Health’s list of 10 famous people with bipolar disorder.
From his “Mork and Mindy” days in the late ‘70s, Williams brought laughter to whole continents of people. For individuals and families living with bipolar disorder, he brought the inspiration of seeing someone who shared the disease achieve such heights.
In a reflection on the sad end to Williams’ life, blogger Elad Nehorai has made an eloquent plea for understanding Williams' death was not self-inflicted but disease-inflicted.
“Williams did not make that choice,” writes Nehorai, who says he has been suicidal himself (“Robin Williams didn’t kill himself,” PopChassid, Aug. 12). "If only you could grasp it. It was not him. It was his illness.
“It can be so hard to understand for the mentally healthy. Just as I cannot possibly comprehend what it means for someone to have AIDS or cancer, I think it can be truly hard for people to wrap their minds around the idea that for some people, a choice cannot be a choice....
“Robin Williams did not kill himself. His disease, whatever it was, killed him.”
Williams' humor and his inspiration will be sorely missed.
Read the entire blog on PopChassid.
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