In the wake of Robin Williams' passing, there have been lots of posts and tributes, some more well written and thought provoking than others (hint: this isn't one of those). I don't feel I have much to add, nor do I have a personal spin to put on it.
I would, however, like to reiterate the points that Jana's post made: depression affects so many more people than just celebrities. Yet we tend to ignore it until something happens to someone famous. She also mentions the hope that this event will open people's eyes to the broader problem of it, rather than remaining solely focused on one person. And she briefly refers to the stigma associated with it.
That was news to me. I've heard enough about depression in the past few years that I figured everyone was comfortable with it. But then I read a post on Arkansassy about the vilification of mental illness, and I couldn't help but see some truth in it.
People do see sufferers of depression as "weak" or "selfish." We think they can "snap out of it" if they really want to. We think we understand how they feel, because we had a slump once where we were sad for a while.
In general, the majority of us are completely uneducated about depression and mental disease.
In a seemingly unrelated twist, I'd like to discuss Facebook campaigns. Particularly the one for ALS that's currently going around. Haven't seen it? The participants post a video of themselves dumping ice water on their head, and then tag other people, urging them to keep the chain going.
Ok, but it's for a good cause, right? Nothing wrong with people having fun and supporting charity at the same time. Except... what are they actually doing for charity? I had no idea what the ice videos were for and was completely ignoring them until one of my Facebook friends presented her own counter video.
It's a bit snarky, but it was fun. It starts with her sitting a table with a bowl of ice. She discusses her opinions of the ice challenge (not good), then proceeds to write a check instead, and presents 2 posters with information about the organization and how to donate.
It was pretty awesome.
But then, another friend mentioned that donations are up to 4x the usual, due to the ice challenge. How could this possibly be effective? I watched a few other videos, and while there was a brief mention of ALS, they don't explain what ALS is (I had to ask someone), and they don't all mention donating.
I concluded that I've developed social media campaign blindness. After the barrage of "if we get 1 bajillion likes, we get a puppy" or "our mom will stop smoking" or "like this picture to help out this cause" I've completely given up on all social media campaigns. There's too many bad, ineffective ones, so I, and probably plenty of others, just ignore all of them.
Alright. Here's the part where I'm going to tie these things together in a profound and earthshaking conclusion (well, or try to). The problem is that we see these internet trends and campaigns, and we take a stance on it. Either we agree, we support it, it's great, or we think it's silly and overdone and really not very effective. Whatever stance we take, it stops there. There's no follow up.
The ice campaign has been somewhat effective. And it could be even more effective, as long as we remember what it's for. Those videos? They should mention the cause, provide some information, and ideally give donation information at some point. The people who are participating shouldn't think, "Oh, well I'm raising awareness, so I don't have to donate."
If you care enough about this charity to make a video of yourself dumping ice on your head, then you care enough to send $5 their way. Your Facebook friends? Maybe they'll see it, maybe they'll care. But maybe they'll have their own charities to donate to. And maybe they'll be blind to it, like I was.
Your ice dumping is not providing any actual assistance. Possibly someone else will see it, and they'll do something useful, like send money, but you can't count on that. If you care, provide real substantial help, along with the "awareness" you're spreading.
How is this related to celebrity mental illness and suicide? Depression is as big a problem as ALS, or any other physical illness, and yet there's a decided lack of social media campaigns about it. Would donations even help? I've never heard of anywhere asking for money to help mental illness (there actually are - more later).
But maybe money isn't always necessary. Not everyone can give. In the case of depression, I'd say the first step is awareness, and I think all the blog posts and tributes are a good start. But if we don't take it further, if we just forget all about it in a week or 2, then what real good will that temporary awareness have done?
Here's my answer: educate yourself. There's nothing we can do for Robin Williams, or for his family. There's nothing we can do for other celebrities who are suffering. But the people close to you are a different story. Friends and family are essential in helping sufferers of depression acknowledge the problem, seek medical attention, and to continue to support that person throughout. But when we're uneducated, when we vilify mental illness, or even support them in the wrong way, we're only increasing the frustrations inherent in the situation.
So feel how you feel about Robin Williams. But then use that tragedy, and those negative emotions, and apply it to better understanding those close to you who may be suffering from the same thing. Know what to look for and what to say. Most importantly, know that it is a disease, and that your loved one is not doing this out of weakness, selfishness, or to hurt you.
The ice challenge, and the Robin Williams tributes seem like very different things. But in the end, if you don't take some kind of action, neither one has much point.
Articles on depression I found helpful:
- http://www.familyaware.org/top-depression/help-someone-who-has-depression.html
- http://www.helpguide.org/mental/living_depressed_person.htm
Mental health organization you can donate to:
- Anxiety and depression: http://www.adaa.org/netforum/donate
- Mental illness: http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=Ways_and_How_to_Give
- Nurse-Family Partnership: http://www.nursefamilypartnership.org/
- MS: http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Donate
What charities are you involved with? Have you ever donated because of a social media campaign?
