Whether in Aladdin or Good Will Hunting, there is no denying Robin Williams touched countless lives with his acting. The news of his death took the entire country by surprise, and in the days following even our small community all the way in North Alabama seemed to be in a state of disbelief. No one wanted to accept that Alan Parrish from Jumanji has finally lost the board game, or that Peter Pan from Hook is never coming back from Neverland.

English teacher Kristi Combs, a huge Robin Williams fan, was one of many absolutely devastated by his death. “As I got older, Williams continued to influence my life. You ask any English teacher to list some inspirations for them becoming an English teacher, and all of them will say — Dead Poets Society.” His roles never failed to inspire Combs, who speaks of how she tries to be like Williams’s character Keating in her own classroom.

Mrs. Combs was not alone in the terrible surprise that Williams’s death was a suicide. “I was in shock. I still sort of am,” Combs said, also mentioning her fear that her children will remember Robin Williams in the wrong light. “I want them to love him as much as I do.”

Williams’s death raised awareness to an issue many high school students face on a daily basis – depression and its effects. Too many adolescents have learned to hide their depression from everyone around them, just as Williams did. An anonymous Bob Jones student who has suffered from depression commented on the rude and sad awakening of Robin Williams’s death, showing just how many people that seem happy may suffer from depression.

In a survey done by high school students, the results revealed:

• 25% of students answered they had been depressed before
• 60% of students had not been depressed
• 15% of students were not sure if what they had been through was clinical depression
• 78% of students knew someone who has suffered from depression

With almost 8 in 10 students knowing someone who has suffered from depression, it is not surprising to find out even some of the people you see every day are struggling with it. Combs mentioned she has seen an increase of depressed students in recent years of teaching. With Williams’s appearing to be one of the happiest people in the acting world, there is no way to recognize depression in the majority of people.

The anonymous student spoke of their depression as something most people think of as “something really obvious that everyone will be able to tell…but honestly depression is subtle and many people suffer from it and no one would ever know.” She mentioned that when she was depressed, it did not stop her from going out and attempting to have a good time.

Depression is an issue that can be difficult to discuss, which can lead to the false idea that it is not occurring. “I hope from the death of such an iconic, lovable performer, society recognizes the need for mental healthcare,” Mrs. Combs remarked.

With this unfortunate issue being a part of this community, students and teachers are more than willing to help anyone who needs it and offer their best advice at any given time. “To anyone suffering from depression, my advice to you is to talk to someone…just don’t try to deal with it alone, and don’t feel like there’s not a way out.”

Robin Williams will be sorely missed, and so would anyone that decided to take their own life because of a mental disease. There is always someone there willing to help, no matter one’s situation. Mrs. Combs mentioned his apparent happiness, “Oh, and his smile. Oh God, his smile… His energy was contagious. Even now, it feels weird to say ‘was.’”

For anyone who needs it:

National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK