If you've ever been depressed you "understand" the thought of suicide.

[Thunderbeast]

95. Sadly, we all share part of the responisbility for this event

This may not sit well with some, but I think we need to consider the key challenge of bipolar disorder; The manic episodes are as much a part of the disease presentation as the depressive side of the cycles. We ask what kind of depression is so deep that Mr. Williams would take his own life, yet we all are celebrating his wild creativity which, while tremendously funny to all of us, was as much a part of his destructive symptoms as the depressive episodes.

Not all sufferers of bipolar disorder react the same way to medications, but the largest challenge that these patients face is the compromises that must be made to regulate the manic-depressive cycles. The mania is every bit as problematic as the depression. The following is largely speculative, but my experience with close relatives lead me down this path. Robin Williams may have had the opportunity to regulate his moods, but the creativity and wild, unexpected behaviors were rewarded handsomely in money, fame, and adulation. How could he leave that behind? What would the press have said if he suddenly acted like the rest of us; Not too wild; Not too down?

Prescription mood stabilizers are crude and limited. As with many folks with this diagnosis, Robin Williams may have tried to keep his mania going using non-prescribed drugs. His admirable trips to rehab were an effort to get his life back under control.

We need to learn much more about mental illness. Our therapies need to be more effective, with fewer side effects.

While we mourn Robin Williams, we should ask ourselves whether our continued hunger to see the creative, manic side of his disease was really a voyeuristic window into an untreated mental illness.

As long as the jokes were funny, nobody bothered to ask.