(Aug. 12, 2015) One year after Robin Williams took his own life following a long battle with mental illness, the actor and comedian continues to inspire many to seek help, evidenced by an ‘unprecedented’ rise in suicide hotline calls since his death (“Robin Williams left ‘unprecedented’ mark on suicide hotlines,” Newsweek, Aug. 11)
“At the time of the loss [of Williams], there was such an enormous spike in interest in the whole topic of suicide,” says Robert Gebbia, the CEO of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). “We saw increases at the time in calls to the crisis line, visits to the website…I think there was a lasting bump in interest in our society by people around the country.”
“In past times, people were afraid to talk about this,” Gebbia continued. “People were afraid to admit that they made a suicide attempt, or hid the fact that they lost a loved one to suicide. But I think all that is changing. The Robin Williams story is a part of that change.”
Gebbia’s message is critical and hopeful. But we also need to remember the risk of suicide for people who are too sick to seek help themselves.
The lifetime risk of suicide among individuals with bipolar disorder is 10-15 percent.
The rate of attempted suicide in individuals with severe mental illness is much higher, with some studies reporting 50 percent. It is even higher for people with anosognosia who don’t believe they are ill and refuse treatment.
In the year since Williams’ death, California has expanded access to treatment for people who are too sick to seek help for themselves and a handful of other states have also made critical changes.
For policymakers and sufferers of mental illness alike, we need to reinforce the message of hope that mental illness can respond to treatment. If the public and policy makers know that treatment works, maybe they will be more motivated to fix the system that could – and should – be providing it.
Read the Treatment Advocacy Center backgrounder on serious mental illness and suicide to learn more.
(Modified Photo: courtesy of Flickr users SynergyByDesign and Pete Prodoehl)
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