Robin Williams RIP: Coping Mechanism?

Specialties Psychiatric

Published

So, I am no Psych. nurse but I always found it interesting. What interests me about some of the people who are most depressed is that they are the ones who always seem to be making others laugh like Robin Williams. Is this some kind of coping mechanism? Of course, I don't know much about the man except what I have seen on TV but I have seen this in people in my personal life too. People that seem to be big cut ups and always joking. I would never have thought depression.

Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

Yes, I know things about him from my studies.

Bipolar disorder is a terrible thing. My heart goes out to him as he suffered, and to those who love him.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
Yes, I know things about him from my studies.

Bipolar disorder is a terrible thing. My heart goes out to him as he suffered, and to those who love him.

How do you know he had bipolar disorder? His family/publicist have come out & said he had battled depression & alcoholism but not bipolar d/o so I am curious as to how you know.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

I read an article interview years ago (15+) with Robin Williams that he revealed his bipolar diagnosis. He used the mania in his improvisations and groups but had a vary difficult time in 1:1 or small group socialization.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC.

Well stated aspiration. Dave Chappelle(my all time fave) also suffers from depression, though you'd never know it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER.

Many creative people suffer from Bipolar disorder. I looked him up a long time ago and saw he had it, yes his comedy seemed to represent the manic side of that affliction. Yet, I always detected a sadness behind his face.

God Bless him. He could have brought many more years of comedic relief to this suffering world. I'm so sorry that this final depression defeated him. He was a genius, and I believe had a heart of gold

I loved him in many of his roles. I think my favorite was Teddy Roosevelt!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

According to his biography, Robin Williams was teased as a child by classmates and resorted to adopting a jokester "class clown" persona to survive his school years.

Several famous comedians have a history of being teased, bullied or rejected as children. The humor was a coping mechanism that actually helped them gain acceptance from the peer group.

Anyhow, I am saddened that Robin Williams is dead. May he rest in peace.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I can't believe he's gone either. I have cried twice already. I grew up watching his movies and stand up. My prayers go out to him and his family. I'm sure he may be looking from heaven and seeing he was loved.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

In the words of Smokey Robinson:

"Now there's some sad things known to man

But ain't too much sadder than

The tears of a clown

When there's no one around..."

RIP, Robin.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pedi.

I am very sad about this. I work with dying children and, most of the time, I don't cry when they pass on. For some reason, mostly because it was a suicide, this is really getting to me. I do not think that we, as a society, talk enough about mental health, depression, suicide prevention. ALS is getting a ton of attention right now thanks to the ice bucket challenge and about 5600 people in the US are diagnosed with it every year. (I am not saying ALS doesn't deserve the attention it's getting, I consider ALS to be the worst disease there is and I'm glad awareness is being spread.) On the other hand, close to 40,000 people in the US commit suicide every year and we don't talk about it. And 16 million adults (or 6.9% of the population) experience an episode of major depression every year (according to NIMH). I read somewhere else that a majority of people with depression (up to 80%) receive no treatment for it. We can do better.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

An interesting comment he made during an interview about his use of cocaine was that for him, it was not a stimulant..it calmed him down. For the purpose of general speculation regarding this less common effect from any drug usually considered to be a stimulant, one would want to rule out ADD, ADHD. There is good literature available on the cycle of AD(H)D and the intermittent or general and sometimes major depressive disorder that can be a frequent co-morbidity. Symptoms of untreated AD(H)D (e.g., over active, rush speech, interrupting, impulsivity) coupled with the cycling depression can sometime appear like bi-polar or cyclithymic. Good assessment and proper testing can usually lead to a reliable differential diagnoses but it can be tricky. People may not report what they consider to be normal behavior or are, through years of coping mechanisms that have become automatic, adjust behavior somewhat for counseling. Bi-polar is much less likely to be easily tempered situationally and therefore much more easily assessed through behavior or severity of the active symptoms and more likely to be "caught" and diagnosed.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, neuro ICU.

I also think it could have had to do with a high IQ (not that I know his IQ, I'm just guessing he was VERY intelligent.) They say brilliance isn't far from madness... his mind probably moved at about 1,000 miles a minute. That was pretty obvious in his quick wit. He most likely over analyzed everything in the world around him.

An example of this that comes to mind is Mozart. He was extremely suicidal. Many of the most famous composers and writers were and their IQ's were off the charts.

Just another theory!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Eventually Midwifery.
I don't think he was bipolar. I don't think being a Comedian means you are bipolar. Having said that, some antidepressants can make you very manic.

Cocaine can also make you quite manic.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment