Tony Hicks wrote an interesting article on how the public responds to reports of celebrity depression. To read his piece, “Yes, Stars Like Owen Wilson Can Hurt, Too,” click here. It begins:

Shouldn’t Owen Wilson be immune to misery?
He’s a movie star in the prime of his career. He dates beautiful women. He has bags of money. He’s the epitome of the life so many people would give their left arm for.
So why — assuming the reports coming from the Associated Press, the National Enquirer, and Celeb.TV.com are accurate — would he want to kill himself?
Doesn’t this guy, adored by the masses with a dream life, have way too much to live for?
I don’t know. And neither do you. Only one person does.


On Sunday, Wilson apparently tried to commit suicide at his home in Santa Monica. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Santa Monica Police logs indicate the call to Wilson’s home was for a suicide attempt. He was listed in good condition at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles Monday; no updates were offered on Tuesday. His family and spokesman have declined to comment, citing Wilson’s request for privacy.
All of this will prompt a giant, collective public head scratching over why someone with talent, money and fame would slash both wrists and take a belly full of pills (as reported by the National Enquirer on Monday).
All the analysis will be for naught. Because the only person who knows is Owen Wilson.
Which is important to keep in mind. In our everyday dream world, good looks, hot girlfriends, great movie roles and fat paychecks are the ingredients of happiness. But even if a person seems to have all that, no one knows what else is at work, bubbling under the surface. Success and happiness are ever-shifting, and personal, concepts.
Assuming it’s true, only Owen Wilson knows the level of pain that pushed him to try taking his own life. Therefore, it’s extremely difficult to pass judgment.
If anything, Wilson deserves our sympathy for feeling so barren that suicide becomes a real option.

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