Grief occurs as a normal reaction to loss. The loss may be of a relationship that one had attached to objects, an opportunity such as a job or another individual. The reaction of the felling of sadness, guild and disappointment due to loss is common, and normal to many societies. However, the reaction to a loss or death of a beloved one differs across cultures. While some may react by restraining from social interactions until the period ends, some other societies value togetherness and social support for the bereaved. The circumstances surrounding a loss or death more often than not affect the duration and manifestation of grief. This paper seeks to discuss the complexities of grief and loss, with reference of the death of television comic star Robin Williams.
Due to the varied exhibitions of grief from one society to another, there is no right or wrong about emotional reactions in grief. However, there exists those acceptable behaviors that any given society tags as appropriate, according to the values and culture of that particular society. Psychology however classifies the stages of normal grief into five. These stages include denial, anger, bargain, which is followed by depression, then finally acceptance. In some circumstances, abnormal grief occurs when the period of grief exceeds a certain length of time, delays in its presentation or completely remains unresolved. The ultimate occurrence after grief is for someone to accept the circumstances, move on and resume their daily activities ( Archer, 2013).
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The effects of a loss are more intense to family and close members of an individual. The first reaction is usually anger, and disappointment. The individual may feel that they did not do all they could to stop the death of their loved one. At the same time, the bereaved may feel that the individual did not deserve to die the way they could. Past memories of time spend with the deceased, the common interests they shared and the fact that the shared dreams may never come true lead to denial. Anger occurs as projection of failure to solve the prevailing situation. The individual may focus their anger on the deceased for causing them the pain and sadness of the loss. It could also occur towards inanimate objects, the attending doctor and the people around the deceased during the time of death. Bargaining occurs as the individual tries to figure out the things they should have done right to prevent the death. The bereaved weighs out the reality of death and tries to figure if they could have the powers to postpone it. Depression sets in as one tries to adjust to the new world without the object or the person they lost. Sadness and regret are the main features of this stage ( Archer, 2013). Accompanying this are insomnia, anorexia, and anhedonia. The preparation to move on leads to acceptance, as the individual learn to cope and live without that which they valued.
Grief reactions differ with circumstances surrounding a loss. For instance, sudden death and an unpredicted loss of a relationship with someone or an object could lead to a more severe grief reaction than the loss of someone from a chronic illness. People are more likely to accept and sometimes celebrate a well-lived life of an elderly individual as compared to the death of a young person. Worth noting is that grief reactions and adjustment to a loss vary from person to person. Thus, it is crucial to understand that social support and helping people to cope with their situations may not always mean that such individuals do not experience sadness and residual effects of the loss even in silence ( Archer, 2013).
The death of Robin Williams was a shocker in the world. Robin was a renowned comic, a television figure and an actor that people all over the world loved. His rise to fame was especially due to the influence he had in both television and standup comedy, making his fans laugh. He was a dear one to his family, friends and the people he had worked with for over the years in the entertainment industry. The unwavering support of his fans and the talent in Robin Williams made him achieve the honor of an Oscar Award at the peak of his career. Robin died in 2014, at the age of 63 years ( Klavan, 2014) .
Circumstances leading to the death of Robin Williams were rather saddening, not only to his family but also to his fans from all over the world. Robin, despite being one of the most famous comedians of his time and making millions laugh from watching his comedy, he had suffered a life-long depression ( Klavan, 2014) . This was rather astonishing, and at the same time unlikely for someone whom people had seen as happy and with a wonderful life. Robin had struggled with the condition for several years, and had been on treatment for the condition. One would only speculate the difficulties Robin’s fans underwent through on realization that the very individual who was so talented in making people laugh had depression. The fanatics of the comedian questioned why the disease had to inflict Robin Williams, someone whose life looked so flamboyant on the screen.
Complicating the circumstances of the death was the forensic report that Robin Williams died out of suicide. His personal assistant had found the star hanging on with his feet just a few feet off the floor of his apartment at Paradise Cay in California. The same report described that Robin might have attempted killing himself by cutting blood vessels on his wrists, before attempting asphyxiation. The news about the death were devastating and saddening to the family and the fans. The circumstance of the death was surrounded by questions of why someone who had achieved so much in life, to the top of entertainment career would choose to commit suicide. Autopsy results further confirmed that Robin Williams had suffered from depression disorder due to an underlying condition known as Lewy Body Dementia. This condition, which leads to deposition of abnormal proteins in the brain leading to Parkinson-like features and melancholia, occurs with symptoms of extreme sadness, lack of interest in pleasurable activities and mental slowness could have dragged Robin to suicide.
Adjusting to the loss of Robin Williams was not only hard for his family but also for his fans all around the world, who loved him and enjoyed the influence he had on them. The saddening fact that Robin had died of a preventable cause, despite having helped so many of his fans get out of sadness from the laughter that his comedy offered was just unbearable to many. His widow Susan Schneider Williams admitted in an interview that she had the most difficult time adjusting to the loss of her husband, knowing that they could have gone an extra mile in searching for the cure of Robin’s aliment. She had also experienced regret and guilt throughout her grief period. The death also raised questions on the medical attention that the caregiver to Robin was offering. Given that chronic depression occurs over a stretch of time, the fact that those around Robin did not offer enough support to prevent the distressing outcome of suicide was just beyond the understanding by some of the fans ( Klavan, 2014) .
The consequences of the death of Robin Williams were far reaching. First, his children had to learn to readjust to the loss. The then 26-year-old daughter Zelda Williams underwent a great psychological turmoil following the suicide of his father. Zelda later on came out on social media to describe the hard times she had endured to come to terms with the loss. After a year, Zelda even wrote an emotional letter to inspire those undergoing grief as she did, that they too could find hope and cope with a loss. Zelda described the sadness of the death of someone dear to her and explained that it was not just about assuming its existence but setting the mind onto happiness and the wonderful moments that bring joy. Fans expressed their condolences and mourned with the family, while mates from the Hollywood fraternity expressed the loss of a friend, a fellow entertainer and a great mentor. Among these were people Robin had worked with including Jeff Bridges, Sally Field, Forest Whitaker and Danny Devito, to mention but just a few ( Martin, Spielberg, & Degeneres, 2014) .
In conclusion, complexities of grief occur from a range of factors, which could be due to internal characteristics of the individual or external influences surrounding the loss. Grief is a normal reaction to loss but may become complicated in cases where it occur for a longer time than normal or is delayed. The circumstances surrounding the death of Robin Williams were quite unlikely for a television star whom people adored. He had suffered a long-term depressive disorder due to a comorbidity of Lewy Body Dementia, which resulted to his suicide. The effects of the loss were not only devastating to his family but also to the people who watched him on television and had worked with him. To overcome the effects of this loss would call more than just the good memories that Robin created to his fans from around the globe. His demise has led to increased sensitization on depression as a preventable ailment.
References
Archer, J. (2013). The nature of grief: The evolution and psychology of reactions to loss . Routledge.
Klavan, A. (2014). Report the truth- the whole truth on Robin Williams' death. Los Angeles Times . Retrieved From: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-robin-williams-details-of-death-20140819-story.html
Martin, S., Spielberg, S., & Degeneres, E. (2014).Robin William: Hollywood Reacts to Comedian’s Death, Celebrates Life. HITFIX . Retrieved From: http://www.hitfix.com/news/robin-williams-hollywood-reacts-to-comedians-death-celebrates-life-on-twitter
