Y'know, that is a pretty good upside.

I agree with you guys on these notes. It's still hard for me to take that someone who seemed so full of life and charisma like Robin Williams would take his own life. Just consider his long career and the commercial successes that his TV shows and movies have had. As far as the asphyxiation, I don't believe that "autoerotic" comes into the mix - but then again what the heck do I know.

I see it as more of a probability that RW's bi-polar disorder, chronic depression, and bouts with drugs/alcoholism finally did him in. That's some pretty harsh darkness to deal with, not to mention all of the other crap that comes into play.

Anyhow, absolutely a tragic death. I remember him in movies like Toys, Dead Poets Society, and Hook. He was definitely all heart - and it showed.

I refuse to see the suicide of somebody who has all options available to him to get all the help he could possibly need as tragic.
Everybody has their cross to bear, but I don't believe for a second that bearing said cross doesn't get easier when there are millions of people who love you, not to mention having a few million in the bank as well.

Not sure why having options makes it less tragic. Not to mention, practically depression would have severely limited those options. Mental illnesses are real illnesses. They inhibit a person as much as being physically limited.

Webster's dictionary defines the word "tragic" as "causing strong feelings of sadness usually because someone has died in a way that seems very shocking, unfair, etc."
For me the notion of unfairness is the defining factor which makes something tragic. And there are few circumstances where I could see a suicide, the death somebody chooses for themselves, as unfair, except to those who are left behind.
Mental illnesses are real illnesses, sure. There also exist real treatment options, which, one would think, are more easily accessible to those with money. Countless people suffering from depression manage to not kill themselves, even without the support system a Hollywood star has (or can get more easily than just about anybody else).

The plane that is supposed to take you to your vacation resort is shot down by a trigger-happy terrorist: tragic.
You catch and die of Ebola while trying to help the sick: tragic.
You have all treatment options available to you and instead decide to kill yourself: not tragic.

Am...am I about to side with DocDoom over Norton on something? I think....I think I need to go do an epsom salt flush or something. Maybe get my head examined.

In the end, to me, it's all chemicals. No amount of money or love is going to get the chemicals in your brain to stop you from doing something stupid, or neglect to get help. It's why, in so many instances, you have to start with drugs, so you can get to a point where you can actually start working on your problems.

I believe it is tragic, and if anything, an amplified light on the above. Someone who was this adored and wealthy still decided to end it all. Why? If it can happen to him, isn't that cause for concern? Shouldn't we maybe start treating mental health seriously?

Also a physical issue.

Still physical.

Mental.

The point Doc tried making, and I think it's a good one, is that mental illness can be/is extremely debilitating, to the point where what you're talking about, can be impossible. Does having lots of money help? Absolutely, but only in paying for the help. Does having lots of love from others help? Yes, but only if they know you're "tapping out".

What Thawmus said. And not just the epsom salt flush. Mental illnesses are just as real of illnesses as any "physical" illness, and should be treated accordingly.

Pretty much this and what Thawmus said. I understand the frustration that comes from seeing someone who has everything (Robin Williams) throw it all away, though. Like mentioned, there are things that money just can't buy.

Depression is pretty terrifying. It affects the way you perceive yourself, and existence as a whole.

Aren't those physical?

But the ramifications aren't. One with a chemical imbalance still could physically seek help, but may be mentally incapable.

And more from CNN.com:

"Investigators believe Williams, 63, used a belt to hang himself from a bedroom door sometime between late Sunday and when his personal assistant found him just before noon Monday, according to Marin County Assistant Deputy Chief Coroner Lt. Keith Boyd.

The coroner's investigation "revealed he had been seeking treatment for depression," Boyd told reporters.

"He has been battling severe depression of late," his media representative, Mara Buxbaum, told CNN on Monday. "This is a tragic and sudden loss."

The autopsy completed Tuesday morning showed "no indication of a struggle or physical altercation," which was consistent with the death being a suicide, Boyd said.

The personal assistant found Williams "slightly suspended in a seated position" with a belt around his neck, he said."

Full CNN article here.

So it looks like "autoerotic" does not come into the scenario at all.

Sure, they are. That's part of the point. A mental disability shouldn't be treated any differently from a physical disability, because a mental disability is often a physical one.

You can no more tell a depressed person to pick themselves up and go get help, than you can tell a paraplegic to walk to their therapist's office.