BLOG
BACKGROUND:
Kevin H. Donan,
one of my West Coast Facebook Friends who owns:
As The Record
Turns
on
6727 3/8 Hollywood
Boulevard
in
Los Angeles,
California
posted a Photograph of himself holding three (3) Robin William Albums in Memorial
of the Passing of this Great Man/Person/Entertainer who (due to Depression)
killed him; committed Suicide on August 11, 2014, shortly after his 63RD
Birthday. In his Caption, Kevin asked his Friends to make a Comment, of which I
posted the following on Facebook and now on my Blog, Koopersmithin’ (here) to
explain exactly HOW Depression manifests or presents itself, since I’ve Experience
with a Person struggling with this Mental Illness. Throughout my lifelong
career of being a Music Publicist, I have had a Series of Clients who suffered
from Mental Illness; mostly Depression / Manic Depression / Bouts of
Schizophrenia.
Although I am not a Doctor (and contrary to popular Belief, I am in no
relation to Dr. Koop, although my last name is truly Koopersmith’), this Overview
will give a rare Insight to the Reader into HOW the Disease of Mental Illness manifests
itself. Furthermore, it may additionally
serve as a Way to COPE in case your Loved One commits Suicide.
BY ALL MEANS: Please share this with
others. We are all Human. It’s a fine Line between Sanity and
Insanity. Gladness & Madness is only
a ‘Snap’away. Like Smokey The Bear’s
Motto of:
ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT FOREST FIRES;
Only YOU (the Observer) can help those afflicted with Mental Illness.
Perhaps by our Intervention, we can help them retain/regain and Live a much
happier and productive Life.
As stated on Kevin’s Facebook
Page at:
What a beautiful Tribute to ROBIN WILLIAMS, Kevin
H. Donan & We (in Chicago where he was born and lived) are totally NUMB
over his Suicide. My Best Friend is
clinically depressed, as ROBIN was and he (my Friend states):
"I'm laughing on the OUTSIDE; Crying on the
INSIDE"
which makes a lot of sense. Plus, they are both nearly the same age,
Robin was 63; my Friend is 64. What's
strange though is that my Friend has been abnormally depressed since he turned 64;
he took to staying in bed; he just could NOT handle it. I would guess the blatant thought of now
being 60+ is shocking and that you've LIVED most of your Life.
I don't think some People (Men) can take this DOSE
OF REALITY very well. Add in
Drinking/Drugs, it doesn't help matters.
Esp. so if you DRINK, because after the HIGH wears off, a Person becomes
depressed even IF he is not clinically depressed. Addiction never paints a pretty picture. By the
same token, I firmly believe that some Addicts don’t like being sober once they
have completed a success Recovery. They’d much prefer being addicted.
Plus, for those of us who are FRIENDS (and/or
intimate) with a Substance Abuser, We have GROWN accustomed to like/love/appreciate their
Addictive Personality. When in AA:
Alcoholics Anonymous (which includes NA: Narcotics Anonymous and Overeaters
Anonymous) they refer to this as: “Peeling off the Layers of the Onion till you
get to its Core.”
For the Addicted Comedian, s/he may feel
(underneath it all) that he cannot be FUNNY, etc. if he is not drinking or
drugging. The abusive Substance opens
them up (in other words). That’s just my
Personal Evaluation as I’d say 85% of the People (I know) and Relatives (I
have) have ‘Issues.’ It might be higher.
Furthermore, if the Addict is clinically depressed
whereby they tumble into this Dark Abyss of No Return, they free-fall into what
I call a 'Double Whammy.' I think this
shocked us all the most, because ROBIN had every THING to live for; that We
(collectively) ever dreamed of:
Popularity - Stardom - Money and yet he took his own Life. What happened? IF this happened to him, can it happen to us? It’s hard to understand. Mental Illness is extremely complex;
especially so to the Layman. In a
physical injury, you know that the ‘bleeding’ must be stopped. In Depression or
any of the other major Mental Illnesses where you cannot PHYSICALLY SEE THE
PROBLEM, the Victim/Patient suffers in silence until something Positive or
Negative is done.
The Positive is in getting Help.
The Negative manifests itself in Suicide or
harming others. Enter: Criminal Acts of
Violence that We hear about every Day on the News.
Wanting the Help is yet another Story. Mental
Illness plays Games with who it affects. That’s why Stories as these grab our Hearts
and make us wonder “WHY?” of which there is never an Answer. Being a famous and beloved Celebrity allows
Mental Illness to strike a Chord with all of us who imagine a different Life for those of us who
are NOT stars. However, Mental Illness
crosses all Borders. From Presidents to
Peasants, Mental Illness takes control and is not for the ‘weak at heart.’ It’s sheer hell.
I feel very sad for his Wife, Susan Schneider, who
is going thru 'Stages of Disbelief' as well.
IF ONLY...
If she had only monitored him those last 12 Hours,
she may have been able to SAVE HIM...but you really cannot travel down that Road. The Spotlight will shine for a Spell on the
Seduction of Addictions that culminates
in Suicide. That’s the Way the Media is.
Maybe someone will be helped, if they so suffer – if they so wish to be
treated. Each Case is personal; as is
each Story.
Robin McLaurin Williams was an American
actor,
stand-up comedian,
voice actor, film producer
and
screenwriter.
But, he will be remembered for much, much more.
This is a Horrible Loss to all of us around the
World. There will never be another
"Robin Williams." May HE rest
in Peace and not be tormented by the Addictions that he so fought against.
Posted by:
ASK: Adrienne Sioux Koopersmith
Screenwriter –
Author – Eventologist – PromoterASK: Adrienne Sioux Koopersmith
Studio 1258 & 1437
Chicago, Illinois USA
PS: More about Kevin H. Donan’s in’s Operation, contact him directly at:
323-251-4895
A second Blog follows much in the Vein of the above Newsitorial:
Tuesday, August 12,
2014
Tuesday,
August 12, 2014. National Splurge Day’s The Daily Splurge® #53 deals with a very sad Topic: The Passing and Death of:
Robin McLaurin Williams,
an American Actor,
Stand-Up Comedian,
Voice Actor,
Film Producer & Screenwriter
and one
of my new Twitter Friends, VARIETY Magazine that I have read for decades upon
decades, becoming 62 as of August 9, 2014.
Both Robin Williams & Variety have added Volumes of Variety to our
Lives for the Amount of Time they have been here working, writing, researching
and entertaining us. Variety, The
Magazine has featured Mr. Williams for years, while Robin’s enormous Span of
Talent runs from Comedy to serious Portrayals; indeed giving the Word ‘variety’
an entirely new Definition when it comes to new and exciting Adventures to
experience.
He
touched many People for Generations across the World. Earlier in the Afternoon,
Robin’s Facebook Page had
6,897,519
Posts.*
Within a
few Hours, it soared to:
6,975,925
by 2:27 PM CST.
That’s
Love.
Death has
a sneaky Way of making us automatically stop and put our Lives into
Perspective. Sadly, We often do not see
this Truism until someone mighty special to us who was so diversified as Robin
was passes from our View.
If
there’s a Life Lesson to be learned from (t)his Death, it’s to live each Day to
its fullest and experience all the Variety you can. In Life, online and at @Variety. Coping and Hoping via a Variety of Activities
can keep a Mind, Spirit & Body Connection happy, healthy and
in-balance. When it comes to
‘Likeability’ they were far ahead of their Times and ‘Facebook,’ as We all
know.
***
*NOTE: As of
August 21, 2014, Mr. William's Fanfare on his Facebook Page:
has gone from:
6,975,925 on August 12, 2014 - 2:27 PM CST
to
9,426,849 Likes as of August 21, 2014 - 2:03 PM CST
that illustrates how the Strength of Social Media Networking joins and connects People across the Planet and clues them in to significant Topics/Subjects/Issues/Concerns as Mental Illness. This Increase is of:
2,450,924 who are now well-informed.
================================
THE INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED MEDIA
THAT HAS SPOTLIGHTED
MY
WRITINGS / CONCEPTS / PHILOSOPHIES FOLLOWS
More Media Opportunities
for YOU via my Media Strides:
1990 - Present
A List of where my Writings
have appeared:
USA Today, The New York
Times, The Washington Post, Insight Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, The Chicago
Sun-Times, Time Magazine, ESPN: The
Magazine; Fast Company, Redbook, More Magazine, Woman’s World, Sports
Illustrated For Kids, Village Voice, Nickelodeon, The Times Picayune, The
Gainesville Sun, The Springfield News-Leader, Dave Egger’s Might Magazine, The
Milwaukee-Journal-Sentinel, The Detroit Free Press, The Daily Herald, The Fort
Worth Star-Telegram, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, The Advocate/Greenwich
Time, The San Antonio Express, The Dallas Morning News, Skyline, The Seattle
Post-Intelligencer, Home Cooking, Cooking Light, Chase’s Calendar of Events,
The Daily Northwestern, Popular Photography and Imaging, Shutterbug, Kennedy’s
Confection (London, England), Eric Cohen Books (Israel) and an Estonian
Newspaper as well as an endless Assortment of Websites since 1994, followed by
Blogs, Facebook Postings, ‘Tweets’ on Twitter and employing other popular Social
Networks. Besides being the Guest on
over 3,000 Radio Interviews (including The Voice of America since 1990), ABC,
NBC, CBS & MSNBC Television Networks have also featured me for my Creation
of these Creative Words + Works.
