Depression: More than Growing Pains

By Baroness Heather, Tom Edwards, Hollis J. Caveman, and Elwood Blues

You don’t have to be a pop culture junkie to have heard of Andrew Koenig in the news recently. Koenig, who was famous for playing Boner in Growing Pains and The Joker in the Batman short “Dead End,” was last seen alive on Feb. 14th in Vancouver. His body was later discovered there, and it was ultimately revealed that he died by suicide after having suffered from clinical depression.

Here at Pop Bunker, our focus is to entertain our readers by commenting on the various genres within pop culture, both past and present. While we can remain critical at times, we write because we all enjoy the entertainment that these films, shows, books, and other things have brought us, and the writers, directors, actors, and people behind the scenes that have delivered them to us.

Andrew Koenig spent several seasons as a member of the “Growing Pains” cast during the 1980s. His father, Walter Koenig, was a cast member of the original Star Trek television series in the 1960s. Both shows are very familiar to the members of the Pop Bunker staff.

On February 25th, Andrew Koenig’s body was discovered in Vancouver, Canada after his struggles with depression led him to the decision to end his own life. Depressive disorders affect 18.8 million Americans. 80% of people are not under going any treatment. Suicide takes the lives of 30,000 Americans a year. Many who attempt suicide never seek professional care. 80% of people who seek professional care are treated successfully.

Andrew's Parents: Walter Koenig and Judy Levitt

Clinical depression, even today, is greatly misunderstood. Clinical depression is a mental illness, however many feel that those affected can just be “cheered up” or need to be “snapped out of it.” Those affected with the disease may themselves feel that they aren’t really sick, or just need to “suck it up.” Often, this isn’t enough, and its end results can be tragic not only the depressed person, but for their friends and family as well.

Depression is a real illness, and should be treated like any other mental illness would be. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Depression may occur only once in a person’s life. Often, however, it occurs repeatedly with depression-free periods in between. It also may be an ongoing condition, requiring treatment over a lifetime. With proper treatment, most people with serious depression improve, often within weeks, and can return to normal, daily activities.”

If you follow us on Twitter, you may have noticed that those of us who have contributed to this article have expressed some disgust for the bad behavior of the frequenters and commentators on some other blogs and news sites. Our hope, however, is that while our readers tend to indulge in occasional hyperbolic ranting, on this occasion, you, our esteemed audience, maintain your dignity if you choose to join this discussion.

Andrew's Sister: Danielle Koenig

This is not a laughing matter, nor one for off-the-cuff insensitive remarks about a person who was more than a face on a television screen. He, like every other person who suffers from the illness that is depression – and it is an illness, just like cancer or diabetes -  left behind a family and cadre of friends and colleagues who are at this moment struggling to make sense of their loss.

As a disease, depression doesn’t discriminate who it happens to. It doesn’t care what your bank balance is, nor who your parents are, nor what you do for a living. Therefore, suicide, that most tragic outcome of the illness, is not something to be mocked, nor beheld with disdain, nor treated as a crime. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention asks that we work to lift the stigma associated with mental illness by changing our very vocabularies. By saying “committed suicide,” we associate the act with criminal activity, to be punished and censured, and not the pain and desperation that should rather be treated when warning signs are presented. By saying instead that he died by suicide, we help to remove the connotation of committing a crime.

If you or a loved one are struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide, please take advantage of the resources available to help you.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is committed to the treatment of mental illness, to help those who suffer before they end their lives. In addition to their website, the AFSP can be found on Twitter and Facebook.

1-800-SUICIDE is a 24-hour crisis line available to anyone in need of support when they find themselves overwhelmed by thoughts of suicide.

More information and personal insight is also available at this post on The Reinvention Project blog, written by our friend Lindsay.