Robin Williams and Why Funny People Kill Themselves

Ok so I posted this article in a separate thread and I got to thinking that this really should be seen by more than just those thread participants. First off, this is a Cracked article and I know that Cracked is a comedy site, BUT this is a good article. The entire content of the article is serious (so much so that the editors felt compelled to put a bunch of funny pictures inter-spaced between the paragraphs to offset all the seriousness). Many people are going to jump on the religious thing and I wanted to point out that this is a serious problem with comedians and their self-destructive behaviors. This isn't about the guilt of suicide, but about mental illness. It's a Quick Fix article, so it's not even a long read. So please give it a glance and get an insight into the mind of a comedian (straight from the horse's mouth).

Robin Williams and Why Funny People Kill Themselves

Here is the intro to the article:

You ever have that funny friend, the class-clown type, who one day just stopped being funny around you? Did it make you think they were depressed? Because it's far more likely that, in reality, that was the first time they were comfortable enough around you to drop the act.

The ones who kill themselves, well, they're funny right up to the end.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Thank you for your share!

You ever have that funny friend, the class-clown type, who one day just stopped being funny around you? Did it make you think they were depressed? Because it's far more likely that, in reality, that was the first time they were comfortable enough around you to drop the act.

The ones who kill themselves, well, they're funny right up to the end.

Hmmm....That is me,but I can get past the depression thinking at my future and the people around me.

R.I.P Robin Williams,another wonderfull man goes away...

"I heard a joke once: Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life is harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world. Doctor says, "Treatment is simple. The great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go see him. That should pick you up." Man bursts into tears. Says, "But doctor... I am Pagliacci." Good joke. Everybody laugh. Roll on snare drum. Curtains." - Rorschach, Watchmen

a reply to: Krazysh0t

I always find funny people are slightly Bi Polar, they seem to be way up or way down and no happy medium.

Coco the Clown was a manic depressive.

Such a shame about Robin Williams. RIP

It fits with what I've seen. There was a local weatherman who was the clown on the set and in the newsroom, too. He killed himself and caught everyone by surprise.

There's a saying by the Joker in the original Michael Keaton Batman that rings true here.

I'm only laughing on the outside my smile is just skin deep if you could see inside I'm really crying you might join me for a weep. --The Joker[src]

I also had a poetry prof in college who used to say that all the really good artists had tortured lives. They were good at what they did because they had personal, direct experience of pain, whether internal or inflicted externally or both. In other words, you write what you know. Of course, look at how many of the great artistic geniuses also tend to meet tragic ends.

a reply to: Specimen

Great quote! So true and deep.

Yeah, interesting thoughts, the dissociation of personality could easily lead a person to form mental health problems. You could probably expand it to entertainers though, and you could expand suicide to self-destructive behaviours, which are often a pre-cursor. Think of all the musicians that have committed suicide and there have been quite a few directors too. There are probably other factors like access to drugs and alcohol being a lot easier in showbusiness, the huge pressures in the industry, and perhaps even the amount people who are trying to manipulate the individual throughout their life.

a reply to: ketsuko

Yes it is a rather reoccurring scenario with many great comedians. Chris Farley, John Belushi, John Candy to name a few.

How do we know he killed himself on purpose? So far, the news says "asphixiation". It could have been the autoerotic type. Just ask Michael Hutchons from INXS or David Carradine.

a reply to: twfau

Great musings. That seems like a likely case as well. But keep in mind, artists have been destroying themselves through substance abuse and suicide for since before there was a massive entertainment industry. Ernest Hemingway and van Gogh come to mind.

The way I've usually interpreted it is that the artistic mind has a HUGE predisposition to mental illness. But then again I also equate intelligence to the same thing. Therefore, you could argue that people who are predisposed to outside the box thinking end up with mental issues. If you think about it, it makes sense too. Outside the box thinking isn't normal thought behavior. So the same line of thinking that causes an inventor to create a new gadget or an artist to paint something mind blowing and never seen before or a musician to invent a new genre of music also alienates them from the public. It's a terrible Catch-22.

Many of the best artists and comedians are tortured souls. It is the equal and opposite reaction. The more pain they have experienced the more powerfully they can project humor and beauty.

Thanks for sharing that. Interesting and makes sense.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

An amazing share Shot! I haven't been compelled at all
to add anything as far as my beliefs go either. So take note
will ya? Not everything in life drives people in such a
direction. In fact you worry about it to much for everyone.
The obsession is more your own. But thanks for this anyway.
SnF

I will just quote myself from another thread.

Why do funny people get so depressed?

Cause they realize they are telling the truth and people are just laughing at it.

a reply to: randyvs

Just preempting a discussion. Don't worry. I didn't mean anything with the implications. The reason I said that is a holdover from the thread that I originally posted that article in since it had severe religious overtones and made me a bit upset. As they told me in the Army when yelling at the whole unit, "You know if this comment is directed at you."

Read this on Cracked this morning.

David Wong Is a great writer.

a reply to: Krazysh0t


Robin Williams and Why Funny People Kill Themselves

Maybe they can be so funny because these people experiance extreme highs and deep dark lows...

Their extreme highs make them stand out and appreciated.. maybe even considered briljant. The deep lows do they keep for when they are home alone.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

That theory has been looked into in the past, Kyaga found a link between creativity and bi-polar in a study which had over a million participants by the end of it. I suppose it makes sense given heightened creativity can occur during manic periods, but there have been other studies that have claimed it is a myth. He talks a bit about the old adage of madness and genius in this TED conference:



There's a good analysis in this article, it mentions that the study was actually providing a counter argument to previous studies which never really found any links. Plus it questions the method of measuring creativity in the participants, among other things (it's a long article).

Analysis of study

I've fought depression for many years. There are ups and there are downs. On ATS you see many posts hating big pharma. Take this pill can be a scam. I don't need to retype the things you mostly likely already believe.

I see the issue the same but, I deal with it daily. There are other methods to help, insurance doesn't pay for it. Or if you make the informed decision to go off your meds then you're labeled non compliant. If you are lucky enough to understand your issue and, have a doctor and therapist that supports you, you have a chance.

Most people on meds only take meds, they don't go to therapy. Having typed that, I feel the need to share that I was kicked out of group therapy. Too many people that only wanted the drugs and whimmed worse than my kids. I cared about their problems more than they did.

A person needs to do something to help themselves. It's not foe me to male blanket claims about what that something is. However, I don't consider anyone helpless so I do have the expectation they want to do better for themselves.

To the OP, the reason a person can't randomly reach out is simple. You know this, you just haven't connected to this issue. A person can't just say things that can be recorded and used against them. In a therapeutic setting there are safe gards in place that in theory protect the patient.

Even calling a "safe" hotline has resulted in a person I know being tackled to the ground and forcably admitted "for their own safety". She was on crutches btw, clearly not going anywhere.

People do not need or want to be in the system. With the digital records came many things people didn't understand the far reaching consequences. Such as ever having a mental illness on you record is no there forevermore.

a reply to: twfau

Thanks for that. I can't watch video at work (stupid codec...) but I appreciate the article and am reading it now.