The world yesterday woke up to the news that one of the most loved comedians and comic actors had passed away. He was Robin Williams, 63, with three children and a wife. He is widely accepted a comic genius and a huge success.

But that success came at a price. Williams nosedived into alcoholism and cocaine abuse at a young age. But before his son was born, he kicked all habits and stayed sober for 20 years. But then came a relapse in Alaska and he readmitted himself to rehab. Sadly, a few years later, his depression took him to new depths and he appears to have taken his own life.

And that’s where it just goes to show. Here in Malta, just like many other places in the world, we have an outlook that can almost deride anyone who does suffer with depression. But Williams’death shows that no matter how much money or fame you have, mental health is not something trivial and that disorders, such as depression can take their toll on a patient and lead them to take their own lives. How very sad.

Malta has been improving over the years and a lot of progress in terms of awareness was made when former PN whip Mario Galea went public about his bout of depression some years back .He was remarkably frank and honest and pointed out that while things were going fine for him, it only took a sad piece of family news to send him into depression.

But for every one that speaks out, there thousands of others who continue to suffer in silence. Mostly it is men. Women have a better disposition when it comes to talking about feelings and emotions, while men try to bottle it up and hide it, out of fear as being perceived as weak.

That is sad and it is something which we all need to fight collectively. Mental illness is not a joke and it should never be treated as so. It is, as it’s name implies, an illness and people who succumb to it should be treated with sensitivity and compassion.

Most people will have come into direct contact with a loved one who – at some point in another – might fall ill. At the last count, there were some 33,000 Maltese people who were suffering from depression – that is about 7 % of the population, to put it into context. On this note, we close with a quote from Williams himself: “I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel all alone.” But sadly, that is the words of someone who suffered from depression. Such people ought not to feel alone, and we, the collective, have the duty to ensure that doesn’t happen.