© 2014 The Wired Word
www.thewiredword.com
Comedian and actor Robin Williams, 63, known for his rapid-fire
improvisations, ricochet riffs on topics high and low, over-the-top comedic
portrayals and manic impersonations, as well as for serious dramatic roles,
died Monday in his California home, apparently by his own hand.
His publicist said in a statement that Williams had "been battling
severe depression."
His wife, Susan Schneider, said in a statement, "This morning, I lost
my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved
artists and beautiful human beings." She added, "As he is remembered,
it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin's death, but on the countless
moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions."
Unlike some comedians who mimic movie stars, politicians, people in power
and others, Williams seemed to have the ability to do so without offending
people, even when being irreverent. He was also known for his charitable work,
kindness and generosity, and for entertaining U.S. troops overseas.
In a statement, President Obama called Williams "one of a kind."
Then, alluding to the comedian's breakout role in the
Mork and Mindy
TV show, the president said that Williams "arrived in our lives as an
alien -- but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit. He made us
laugh. He made us cry. He gave his immeasurable talent freely and generously to
those who needed it most -- from our troops stationed abroad to the
marginalized on our own streets."
Williams had acknowledged problems with drugs and alcohol, but had sought
treatment. He'd also had heart surgery in 2009, an event that he said caused
him to take stock of his life.
The expenses of two divorces with large alimony payments (which he jokingly
called "all the money" and described as "ripping your heart out
through your wallet") were only a part of the money problems he faced. He
had been trying to raise cash by selling his Napa ranch, but was unable to find
a buyer at the $35 million asking price -- or even at 15 percent off that price.
Although he disliked both TV work and doing sequels, he had recently taken jobs
in both -- and found that even with his best efforts, his TV series
The
Crazy Ones was cancelled this May after one season.
For many, the acknowledgment of Williams' severe depression comes as no
surprise; it's long been known that people who frequent the manic end of the
emotional spectrum sometimes find themselves at the depressive end as well.
Writing for CNN, Todd Leopold said, "Show business history is filled
with stories of comic kings who fought against depression and substance abuse,
not always successfully. Jonathan Winters, Williams' hero, was
institutionalized for a time. The effortless Dick Van Dyke once said he was
'mostly drunk for 15 years.' John Belushi and Chris Farley died of overdoses.
Mitch Hedberg, Freddie Prinze, Richard Jeni -- all funny men, all gone before
their time."
Upon learning of Williams' death, comedian Michael Ian Black tweeted,
"We lose at least one great comic to suicide or ODs every year. Our jobs
are to communicate, but we seem to not know how to ask for help."
Some ordinary people, too, could identify with Williams' despair. Among the
reader comments following one CNN article about the actor's death, we noticed
these two:
"Depression is truly evil; feels like a possession. RIP :("
"... depression [is] not just one or two 'down moments'; it's a
pervasive, persistent despair that is largely independent of your
circumstances. You can have everything and still feel like dying ... it's so
hard."
In fact, Robin Williams is part of the demographic with the highest risk for
suicide: older white men with a history of substance abuse and depression. This
group has seen a spike in its suicide rate over the past decade and a half,
with an increase of nearly 40 percent.
On a TV program, Williams was once asked, "If heaven exists, what would
you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?" The
comedian responded with a joke about a concert including Mozart and Elvis, and
then added that he'd like "to know that there's laughter."
More on this story can be found at these links:
Robin Williams, Oscar-Winning Comedian, Dies at 63 in Suspected
Suicide. New York Times
Robin Williams and the Dark Side of Comedy. CNN
Robin Williams Had 'Serious Money Troubles' ... Daily
Mail
Robin Williams in a Group Facing Higher Risk of Suicide. Washington
Post
Robin Williams on Laughter in Heaven. PIX 11
5 Facts You Didn't Know About Robin Williams. Huffington
Post
The Big Questions
1. Since some sadness and occasional depression are normal parts of living,
how can we self-determine if we are suffering from chronic clinical depression?
How do we determine when we need help to deal with it? (If you have experienced
crippling depression and feel able to share, discuss times you were able to
accept help and/or found yourself able to listen to those who care for you.
Tell about a time you tried to help another.)
2. What makes Christians who are depressed sometimes reluctant to
acknowledge it? When, if ever, have you heard sermons, Sunday School lessons,
or simply the words of fellow Christians (including yourself) discussing
depression as a character flaw, a sin or something that could be easily fixed
if that person would just "pull himself/herself out of it"?
3. What are some ways people or society encourage depression by means of
false accusations, unreasonable expectations or encouraging unhelpful
self-esteem standards or self-identity criteria? How does sin encourage these?
How does the gospel of salvation from sin help avoid these?
4. In what ways can the church reach out to people who are suffering from
recurring depression? What resources does your denomination provide to help
with depression?
5. To what degree does faith interact with moods and emotions? Do you think
a confession of faith is more powerful coming from someone who is suffering,
whether from depression or another condition? Why or why not?
6. How would you summarize the Christian message of hope to someone in deep
despair? How do you avoid making this message of hope sound like a bandage
instead of real comfort?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Numbers 11:14-15
I am not able to carry all this people alone, for they are too heavy for
me. If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to death at once.
(For context, read 11:1, 10-17.)
Here's a statement Moses makes to God that suggests Moses is overcome by the
burden of leading the Israelites in the wilderness. He's in such despair that
he says to God, "If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to
death at once."
Not all depression is alike, however. Sometimes we feel "down"
because of circumstances, but when the circumstances improve, so does our mood.
This can be called "situational" depression." Such depression
can be an occasional but reasonable occurrence even for people who are in sound
emotional health.
Likewise, a person in sound emotional health can have a down day now and
then without it being tied to a particular circumstance, and without it being a
symptom of an overall problem. Such is simply a normal part of life for many
people. Call it "occasional" or "short-term" depression or,
perhaps, "the pain of being human."
But there is another kind of depression that is not usually driven by our
circumstances (though it can be triggered by circumstances), but which is recurring
and crippling. This is sometimes described as "clinical,"
"chronic" or "recurrent" depression. We suspect this is the
kind of depression the online commenter was referring to when he or she wrote,
"depression [is] not just one or two 'down moments'; it's a pervasive,
persistent despair that is largely independent of your circumstances. You can
have everything and still feel like dying ... it's so hard."
Today, chronic depression is sometimes understood as at least partly rooted
in body chemistry, and many people find help from prescribed medications and/or
counseling. A small percentage of people with recurrent depression do not
appear to be helped by such treatments, and some find the help not to be
lasting, but medical science and psychiatry continue to address the illness.
Given that available treatments do help most people, it's generally a good move
for those with chronic depression to seek medical help.
From the evidence available from the Numbers account, it seems likely that
Moses was experiencing situational rather than occasional or chronic
depression. Once God addressed Moses' circumstances through a shared leadership
arrangement (the 70 elders), Moses was able to resume his work.
But even situational depression can be debilitating; it led Moses to suggest
that God kill him!
Questions: When have you felt down and were able to
identify circumstances that accounted for your feelings? When have you felt
depressed without being able to identify a cause? How did you find help? Does
your congregation have a good record when it comes to sharing burdens? Do you
personally welcome burden sharing or do you resent it?
1 Kings 19:4
But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat
down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: "It is
enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my
ancestors." (For context, read 19:1-18.)
Here we encounter the prophet Elijah deeply depressed, despite the fact that
he'd just had a major success. In a confrontation with some 450 prophets of the
god Baal and 400 prophets of the goddess Asherah, Elijah, alone representing
Israel's God, proved that his God was the only one with power. You can read the
details of that encounter in 1 Kings 18. But here in chapter 19, Elijah is
anything but pumped up from his resounding triumph in the name of God. In fact,
hearing that Israel's queen, Jezebel, is after him because he trumped her
prophets, Elijah hightails it out of the area. Then, when he is safely away,
all his energy leaves him, and he's overcome with despair.
We are not merely guessing at Elijah's state of mind. This is one case where
the biblical author tells us what's up with the prophet both by using metaphor
and by quoting Elijah's own words. The metaphor is in the detail that Elijah,
alone in the wilderness, "sat down under a solitary broom tree." That
is a poetic way of conveying how Elijah felt -- all alone like that single
tree. And then Elijah's words let us look into his mood: "It is enough;
now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors."
Questions: God directly confronts Elijah's depression and
gets him moving again. But most people who are sunk in despair -- sometimes
including devout Christians -- don't receive that kind of divine intervention.
What message can we take from this story for our times of despair?
What problems does God initially address that contributed to Elijah's
depression (vv. 5-8)? What does Elijah's statement that "I alone am
left" (vv. 10, 14) suggest about the role of loneliness in depression?
What might this suggest about the causes and treatment of the condition? How
does God's statement in v. 18 address Elijah's emotional state?
Psalm 42:5
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?
(For context, read 42:1-11.)
The whole of Psalm 42 seems to be a meditation by a person suffering from
depression. It's possible it's situational depression, for the psalmist refers
to an oppressive enemy and adversaries (vv. 9-10). But we don't know if the
depression was unusual for the psalmist or whether it was reoccurring.
Whatever the sort of depression, it was at that moment a real -- and painful
-- experience. In fact, the psalmist alludes to pain: "My tears have been
my food day and night" (v. 3).
We do note that the psalmist has not given up. Only the first half of verse
5 is quoted above, but the second half says, "Hope in God; for I shall
again praise him, my help and my God." Clearly the psalmist believes that
God and not depression has the last word.
Questions: How do we know when prayer is not enough to deal
with our depression? Do you ask yourself tough questions in prayer? Do you
listen for a voice or sign with such prayers? Are there times when you feel
nothing, yet continue anyway?
Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (For context,
read 5:1-12.)
This is one of the beatitudes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. The
"beatitudes are not practice advice for successful living, but prophetic
declarations made on the conviction of the coming-and-already present kingdom
of God," says biblical commentator Eugene Boring. This one promises a
reversal of "mourning," which is sometimes part of the reality of
depression.
Note that this beatitude is not a prescription for happiness, but promise of
comfort for those who trust God.
Questions: In what ways is this beatitude reflected in the
ministry of your church? in your outlook on life? When we call an affliction
blessed, to what extent do we embrace the blessing? Do you view pain as failure?
Revelation 12:12
Rejoice then, you heavens and those who dwell in them! (For context,
read 12:10-12.)
Williams stated he hoped there is laughter in heaven.
There is. (See also Luke 15:7, 10.)
In Revelation, we see suffering, but we also keep looking into heaven and
realize that there is rejoicing, and all of us who suffered are just fine
there.
Question: Why does it matter that there is laughter in
heaven?
For Further Discussion
1. Discuss this, from TWW team member Joanna Loucky-Ramsey: "While
going through multiple losses and the depression that followed it, in anguish I
often asked God why he allowed it. On the other side of that dark night of the
soul, I believe it taught me these things:
1) There is only one God, and you are not that person. A correct
understanding of who you are and how you fit into God's creation is worth the
pain God allows in your life to teach you humility.
2) Everyone has pain, whether or not it is visible to the naked eye. Grow a
heart of compassion and empathy for others in the soil of your own pain, and
your suffering will produce the fruit of kindness.
3) No matter what you are going through, while you cannot determine or control
what happens to you, you can determine and control how you respond to those
experiences. Choose to respond with gratitude for the myriad blessings you have
received, great and small; with patient trust in God's faithfulness even when
you cannot see the end of your difficult journey; with courage to face each
day's challenges one by one, relying on the power of the Spirit of Christ who
lives within you.
4) Place your pain in the hands of God and ask him to use it to make you a more
effective servant. Other sufferers who never approached you before when it
seemed like you never had a problem may find you more accessible because they
can now believe that you might understand their pain. The adversities you
endure today may be the door to a new ministry tomorrow to people desperate for
a word of hope and experience of grace."
2. Respond to this, from another TWW team member: "In some cases,
depression seems to be genetic. My sister was diagnosed with depression in her
late teens, and I in my mid-20s. We will both likely be somewhat dependent on
antidepressants for the rest of our lives. Looking back, we believe our
grandmother also suffered from depression; while it might have been
attributable to some of her life circumstances, it also seemed to overarch
them.
"My husband also deals with depression, as does at least one, and we
suspect both, of his siblings. He only got treatment at age 30 because when the
condition first surfaced, he was a teen still living at home and his parents
were skeptical -- as were many, still, at the time -- about it being a real
medical condition.
"I was fortunate: When I told my mom that I was depressed, she assured
me that there was nothing to be ashamed of. 'You wouldn't be ashamed about
getting the flu or a sinus infection; this is no different. Something is out of
whack in your body. If you need medicine, get it.'"
3. Comment on this, from TWW team member Frank Ramirez: "I remember a
time of darkness. I called it a siege. Nothing was outwardly wrong with me or
with the way I went about my ministry, but I had no doubt that this was a
crisis of faith. This is all there is, a voice seemed to say, suggesting that
much of what I placed my hope in was false. I didn't argue. I continued to
serve God. I stayed at my post.
"The darkness lasted for much of a summer. Then came the fall, when the
humidity fades, the leaves turn color and the wind blows crisp. I was driving
home by myself. The sun had set, leaving an orange band along the horizon,
against which a barn and a distant grove of trees stood stark. Again came the
dark suggestion: This is all there is.
"In my mind, I finally answered, If this is all there is, it's enough.
That was my answer: 'It's enough.'
"I felt as if the siege had lifted. No one else could have seen or
heard or known that anything had happened, even if they'd been sitting in the
passenger seat that night. But for me, there's never been any doubt that what I
had endured was over." (Frank originally shared this in a meditation for
The
Upper Room, October 31, 2002.)
4. Discuss this, also from TWW team member Joanna Loucky-Ramsey: "I've
suffered from depression at different times in my life. Sometimes it was
situational. The worst experience I had was after a severe series of losses and
transitions that led to chronic depression that lasted a few years while I
lived in Alaska. During that time I continued serving in ministry, even though
my Christian supervisor called me 'an unbeliever,' which was true on some
level.
"Recovery was not easy. Sometimes it was all I could do to make one
phone call trying to find help. If the person on the other line said there was
no spot for me right then, it meant I was wiped out for the rest of the day.
Sometimes I had hellish nightmares and suicidal thoughts. I had to admit to
this in order to get more rapid access to treatment options.
"My recovery occurred over time in incremental, almost imperceptible
baby steps. It involved a multi-faceted approach that utilized medication
(antidepressants), counseling with a psychologist as well as a Christian
pastoral counselor to address my crisis of faith, staying active (work),
exercise, a nutritious diet, getting out of the house to socialize with people
and getting a puppy, among other things. Making a few new friends who prayed
for me, listened to me without judgment and let me 'borrow' their faith when I
had none left of my own was another key.
"Certain phrases I learned at that time were also important: While you
may not feel that your depression will ever lift and you will ever recover,
many people do, and there is hope for you as well. Don't take irreversible,
permanent, drastic action (such as suicide) while in the depths of depression
that could be temporary, even though right now you may feel like it will never
end.
"Realize that you are not God, and may not be able to change your
situation or the way others behave. Let go of the desire to control others, and
concentrate on what you
do have control over: your own attitudes and
actions. You decide how
you will react to your circumstances, and take
responsibility for what is within your own power to do.
"Take time to gather new tools and to sharpen old tools of coping
skills to put in your tool kit. Write a list of 101 blessings you have to be
thankful for, and thank God for each one. If your depression is connected to poor
relationships, there may be underlying issues of unforgiveness, guilt, grief,
anger, control, etc. that need to be addressed.
"Don't be too proud to ask for help if you need it. Let others (humans
and/or animals) who will hold your brokenness as a sacred thing care for you.
And give yourself time to heal. You didn't get hurt overnight, and healing
doesn't happen overnight either; it is a process that takes time."
5. Respond to this description of a depressive episode, from Jeffery Smith,
a man who also suffers from recurrent depression, and for whom mood elevating
drugs do not work. This is from his book about his life with chronic
depression,
Where the Roots Reach for Water:
"At the office, every phone call, every home visit, every bit of
documentation felt like drudgery. I was a month behind on my paperwork. At
home, I'd toss my mail, the bills along with the letters, into a corner,
unopened. I hadn't balanced my own checkbook for a month. A pile of overdue
library books sat on my kitchen table. I drove past the public library at least
once a day, but it seemed more than I could manage to call to mind the
necessary foresight and lift the books off the table, and then carry them to my
car, and then drop them off at the library. Any one of those steps was a
challenge; accomplishing them consecutively was well-nigh impossible."
6. Jeffery Smith (see #5) describes a kind of voice inside his head, which,
during depressive episodes, seemed to demand all his attention. He calls this
voice "Mr. Shoulder":
"[Mr. Shoulder] moved quickly off my shoulder and wormed his way right
there inside my head. Then I could hear nothing else. It was on account of Mr.
Shoulder that I went dumbfounded in company, and could find nothing to say to
anybody. By now he was with me loud and clear, shrill of voice, sharp of
tongue, and painfully all-seeing. He would tell me who I was, and his judgment
was lacerating, merciless. ... he knew my past ... as no stranger could, and
nothing was too trivial to escape his notice. He gathered all this intimate
data into the great sweeping arguments he used to forecast my future: at every
enterprise I would fail. There was no debating him. Over and over he told me:
You are haunted. You are hollow. You are beyond forgiveness and beyond hope.
There is no point in vowing to change."
Can you imagine feeling like that for months or years at a time? How might
you reach out to a person so afflicted? How can you help such a person hear
God's word of forgiveness, hope, empowerment, mercy and "no condemnation"?
Responding to the News
To those who do not suffer from chronic depression, it may seem that
depressed people are dribbling their life away. It may feel like the depressed
person just needs a shove to "get moving." Mostly, though, that just
shows how hard it is for someone who's not suffered from depression to
understand it. So this is a good opportunity to try to deepen our understanding
of the condition.
One TWW team member who is also a counselor reminds us that there are
contributing factors to depression that are totally unrelated to character
deficits, and that Christians are in special need to be aware of that. She
says, "The 'pick yourself up by your bootstraps' is an absurdity (if you
ever wore barn-boots and fell down it would become obvious how silly it is to
expect a distressed person use this method)."
If you are a person suffering in silence from depression, this can be a good
time to consider whether you ought to seek medical help.
Closing Prayer
Lord, be present in our minds and emotions, that we may perceive when we
need help beyond ourselves and beyond our prayers to deal with the pains life
brings. When we do, enable us to find the help we need. In Jesus' name. Amen
