On the 11th August 2014, my dad took the decision to end his own life at the age of 52. The same day as Robin Williams. A day I will never forget.



Reliable, determined and selfless. Just a few quick words to describe my dad. Words you’d never associate with depression or suicide. It was however, these same words that made him vulnerable to mental illness. He was too busy caring to the needs of others that he forgot about himself.

"Reliable, determined and selfless. Just a few quick words to describe my dad. Words you’d never associate with depression or suicide."

To the outside world (including his family and friends) he was a thoughtful, caring and inspirational person. Someone with a loving and supportive family, secure job and content life. But inside, he was fighting an invisible battle that not even those of us closest to him knew about. He had no prior episodes of mental health problems, or at least he never told anyone. How could he ever tell those closest to him he was struggling with a mental illness? That would mean placing a burden on a family he was meant to be strong for as a father and husband. Something he could never do. It just wasn’t in his nature.



As someone who was only 23 when this happened, I feel as though I am learning more and more about mental illness everyday. Having seen the responses on social media to the passing of Robin Williams, especially from young people, it is clear there is still a long way to go with perceptions of mental health. I can understand now with hindsight that even those who don’t outwardly display that they are struggling mentally may be the most susceptible, especially men.

"For someone of my Dad's generation to say that they were depressed would be an admission of weakness."