'suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem'

I think in his experience with depression, it wasn't temporary. Somehow this makes his death more tragic. That he had to live with this burden for years, even though he did what he loved and had a loving wife and kids.

They showed this clip in the tribute on Sky News. Very sad.

I had to pause that scene. so sad.
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He was diagnosed with parkinsons so his problems really werent temporary

Long, enduring, intractable depression is hardly a temporary problem (in fact, people are hospitalized indefinitely due to extreme depression: years, decades...). He had had enough and wanted out. I say good for him. It would have been better if it could have worked out differently (but then, after all, what was there left for him? extreme old age and health problems even if he didn't have parkinsons...he could of died within 5 - 10 years in any case, or lived 20 or 30 more years with very diminished energy and capacity for, well, anything...he already did everything he wanted to, he lived a full life, and he took control of his end of life, he ended it on his own terms...like Nietzsche said most of us live too long, a few die at the right time), but it didn't and I'm glad he's out of his pain and had to courage to kill himself. There's no point in existing with a sub-quality of life, that's not living. Too bad it's what so many do.

Depression is often a lifelong illness.

I have always found this line to be a bad cliche, personally. I've closely known many severely depressed and anxious people during my life, and it has nothing to do with "temporary". It is about sustained agony, and how much the person can endure before day-to-day life is not "worth it". People who take their life are not weak, they are much stronger than the average population, they are just enduring far more extreme pain than the general population.

People like Robin Williams who don't fit into society's mould because of a faster than average brain with higher than average awareness... will always suffer tremendously. Add on physical health problems and the good parts of life just don't add up to being worth the anguish.

The reason I hate the cliche is because it belittles people that do take their life, suggesting that they were weak and should have just "hung on until it gets better". I assure you that no person who has ever taken their life from depression did so lightly.

I really hate when people who don't understand depression and mental illness say things like this. Please, when you've endured over a decade of depression, get back to me and tell me it isn't temporary.

I've never fooled anyone. I've let people fool themselves.