People normally feel overwhelmed by difficult circumstances or emotionally draining situations. At some point in their lives, they feel so devastated that they think that nothing short of death will give them relief. While most people can pull through and pick themselves up after encoutering serious problems, there are those who lose control over their emotions and thoughts, and eventual, resort to suicide or drug overdose. For desperate people, death by their own hand or through the use of drugs is seen as an escape from all the problems and pain. Marc Antony and Cleopatra, Adolf Hitler, Vincent Van Gogh, Marilyn Monroe, and Kurt Cobain --- these are men and women who had power, fortune, and fame, yet they all took their lives. Theirs is a sad story of great lives that ended in utter tragedy.
Another story that could have been another tragedy involves Hollywood comedy superstat Owen Wilson. The Owen Wilson story is now the latest buzz in tinseltown. The National Enquirer stirred up mixed reactions when it first reported last August 26, 2007 that Hollywood funnyman Owen Wilson was hospitalized due to drug overdose. That story about the drug overdose was later retracted by the same source and was changed into “a case of attempted suicide.”
According to the magazine release, the 38-year-old actor was brought to a Los Angeles hospital (St. John's) in serious condition and was transferred later on to Cedars-Sinai where he is currently recovering from the suicide attempt by slashing his wrists and downing a dangerous amount of pills. The cuts were described as “superficial.”
Showbiz insiders and kibitzers agreed that suicide is a sad and cruel stigma that could be less damaging to an actor's career and reputation compared to a case of drug overdose. Aside from expressing their sympathy for the actor who was apparently struggling with serious emotional problems, some staffers close to Wilson also worked overtime to do some damage control.
The 'Wedding Crashers' star was allegedly distraught over his split with ex-girlfriend, Kate Hudson, last June due to constant bickerings about Wilson's wild behavior. In July, Hudson started seeing Dax Shepherd, star of “Employee of the Month.” A picture of Hudson and her new man was said to have triggered the suicide attempt. Witnesses claimed that Wilson's older brother found him unconscious at his Los Angeles home and was then wheeled out of the house on a stretcher with bandages on his wrists, and was taken to a nearby hospital.
National Enquirer magazine's editor-in-chief David Perel said, “Owen Wilson has now been transferred to another Los Angeles area hospital. His elder brother Andrew and younger brother Luke are with him. Andrew found him after the suicide attempt and called an ambulance. Both of Owen's wrists were slashed superficially and Owen had taken an overdose of pills. He was found with a nearly empty bottle of pills next to him at his house."
In his own press release, the actor requested for understanding and asked for the media to allow him to “receive care and heal in private during this difficult time."
Owen Wilson's refreshing brand of oddball humor and off-the-wall behavior have made him into one of showbiz's most hilariously entertaining and bankable actors. Having starred in a string of respectable box-office hits, his remarkable resum includes Meet The Parents, Meet The Fockers, Zoolander, Starsky and Hutch, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and Wedding Crashers.
So why would a successful person like Owen Wilson try to commit suicide or try to gen an overdose of sleeping pills when another person of lesser stature could be put in the same tough situation yet remain emotionally and psychologially stable? What makes some people more resilient and more able to cope with with life’s setbacks and difficulties? What makes some people give up not just on their problems but on life itself?
The answer to these questions lies in the fact that most people who commit suicide or resort to drug overdose may be suffering from depression. Depressed people tend to focus on their failures and disappointments. By exaggerating the severity of their situation, they make the problem worse that it really is. People with severe depression also find it hard to see through the possibility of overcoming their problems and may desperately believe that things will never go right for them again.
Consulting professional counselors and therapists for advice can provide emotional support and can help build coping skills in dealing with problems. Joining a support group with people who are going through the same problems can help provide a caring environment where one can talk freely about problems with people who share the same concerns.
Once depression is lifted due to proper therapy or treatment, the distorted thinking is cleared. The person is ready to face life once more in a new perspective and can find pleasure, energy, and hope once again.
Not all comedians can afford to laugh in real life. Not all dramatic actors lead sad lives. Indeed, it is our choice if we want to make our life story a drama, a tragedy, or a comedy.
