Robin Williams, Robbed by the Silent Thief - Lanre Olusola

I woke up this morning to news of  actor and comedian Robin Williams’ death  (suicide by asphyxiation).   And you wonder, is anybody happy these days? Robin Williams made everyone laugh and his high energy at times masked his personal struggles.

“He had been battling severe depression of late,” Mara Buxbaum, his rep said in a statement to the press. “This is a tragic and sudden loss.” Robin Williams was 63 years old.

The World Health Organization has predicted that: ’Depression will be the second leading killer disease and cause
of disability by 2020 and the No 1 killer disease and cause of disability by 2030′. ’Depression is a stronger risk factor for heart disease & mental illness than smoking, alcoholism & bad cholesterol’

What exactly is depression? To some depression generally means feeling down, low, sometimes upset and sad, ‘the blue syndrome’, but one may have these feelings without being classified as ‘clinically’ depressed. These emotions are generally brief and can only slightly and temporarily affect normal life.

Clinical depression is a physical, emotional and spiritual state that is intense and can negatively affect the life of an individual, long term. Depression is also different from sadness we naturally experience after loss, such as during bereavement.

Depression is very unhealthy; it often robs us of finding meaning in our lives and ultimately inhibits our personal growth, achievements, performance It can Ultimately lead to death.  So it is very important to understand what depression is and what it isn’t. Depression is not a character flaw, neither is it a sign of indiscipline or personal weakness. It is not just a ‘mood’ that an individual can choose to get into and thus snap out of at will.

Depression gets funny and successful people too, it is not the preserve of the poor and “unfulfilled”. Depression is  a silent thief and if you are not watchful and careful, it could creep up on you and steal your life.  Williams, of course, had his own self-confessed addictions, to cocaine and booze. He once said to  Diane Sawyer in an interview that his addiction wasn’t caused by anything, that it was “just there,” and he described it as “laying in wait”.

It is however critical to understand that depression is not permanent, you can completely recover from it. As an Emotions Therapist, Health Coach and Psychologist, I am trained to help people deal with this Silent Killer. From the work I have done in the last couple of years the truth is that a lot of people are walking around depressed. It’s not just about having a bad day, or a bad week; depression is a psychological condition that needs to be quickly and professionally dealt with.
That’s one of the various reasons we are doing several programs from Emotional Intelligence to Conflict Resolution to Self Mastery and Personal Power etc. Participants often experience; a Re-awakening; An activation of ALL the power and positive energy that lies dormant within them; They will be reconnected with their True Essence (Spirit and Soul).

It so happens that I am billed to speak at a UN  International Youth Conference themed: Mental Health Matters at 11am this morning. I will be speaking on Depression and Mental Illness. If you can make it, come to Adeyemi Baro Hall,Alausa opposite Shoprite Mall Ikeja, Lagos state today and hear about this all important issue.

Rest in Peace Robin Williams 

If you are going through depression or you know someone who does, please get help immediately,

Email us:  info@olcang.com  Call us: 08077077000  we are here to help, depression doesn’t just go away, you need professional help.

Shalom,

The Catalyst, Lanre Olusola,

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