As everyone, I’ve been thinking a lot about Robin Williams. Not so much about his comedy, but more about his life. He was hilarious… and manic. Whew. his picture’s probably beside the world. I always felt that when he played the genie, that he finally was released from the bodily confines and that had to be amazing for him.

He was so much more than his addictions and his depression. Everyone is. But in the end, he couldn’t access the support he needed. How very, very sad.

For many of us on FB and I’m sure everywhere else, it lead us to reflect on our encounters with depression… and every other mental illness and brain illness in the book. My lovely, loving WASPy family couldn’t/wouldn’t understand that Mental Illness is illness. So we didn’t talk about things. And when Mom got Dementia, that was another opportunity not to talk about things.

We lost so much. And because so few people were willing to get help either chemical or conversational, we lost even more. As the wacky, too emotional New York/California daughter, my ideas about therapy were sniffed at.

And let’s not even talk about the alcohol. It was easier not to know my mom’s side of the family… and not to talk about the alcohol… So there they are… dead from the silence and their deep pain. And when I say silence, i mean unwillingness to be present, to process, to reflect.

So… let’s get educated about Mental Illness… Let’s find our own therapists and help our friends get the help they need. I was pleased and grateful to see Laura Campbell’s clear and thoughtful piece on WNEP. All of us would do well to have the suicide prevention hotline’s # somewhere available. 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Depression is a widespread issue… and requires better care than advice about bootstraps. Deb Slade’s rainy day photo with a fallen blossom is a wistful accompaniment.

Silence in this case does not hold Peace.