Farewell Chester Bennington
Friday, July 21, 2017 at 12:01AM It seems unreal, but the news broke yesterday afternoon that Chester Bennington, lead singer of Linkin Park, had taken his own life. He was 41.
I'm not sure what it is going to take, but we need to have a real conversation about mental health in America. I'm not sure how other countries handle mental health, but the way it is approached in America is a joke. Issues like depression, anxiety and mental illness are met with derision and stigma. People are afraid to reach out for help. Or if they do want help, paying for counseling is often a barrier.
When a person like Chester: young, famous, wealthy and loved by a family can't overcome his sadness, what does that say for the odds of average folks which have a whole different set of pressures they face daily? Add addiction into the mix and forget it. We're in a national crisis here - we're drowning and no one seems to care.
I wish Chester's family members well. This is a nightmare for them.
AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION Releases Statement On CHESTER BENNINGTON's Death https://t.co/j4dZfJxHpZ pic.twitter.com/aAKE5IYTJ1
— BLABBERMOUTH.NET (@BLABBERMOUTHNET) July 21, 2017
Reader Comments (10)
I view Chester not as a star but a human. This happens every day to some family. Beyond sad. In a week we will all be back to normal. At the Grammys they'll highlight the biggest stars who are dead. Chester and Chris will be there. People will clap. Then life goes on as normal and no one is inconvenienced.
I look at it this way. Get help if you think you need it. And don't give a rats dirty ass about anybody who is going to judge you. They obviously have issues of their own, and judge others to make themselves feel better. That's my thoughts on it anyhow. But remember, it m not a psychiatrist (although I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night) 😁
The thing with mental illness is that it's invisible. People put on a brave front when they see others - they say hello, smile and respond with "great, how are you?" when asked how they're feeling. But inside, their brains are a mess of anxiety, sadness, or worse. When you have a broken leg, or even a simple cold, everyone knows that you're suffering and act as such. But when a part of someone's brain isn't functioning properly, no one knows any better. Even worse is the isolation that you feel because everyone else looks like they are perfect; they're smiling, posting happy Facebook photos and saying that they are "great" as well.
In some ways, it's even worse for successful people like Chester. I read more than a few comments on Twitter last night basically saying that he had no right to be broken because of the money he made, which is utter bullshit. Imagine what it must feel like to have everything, to have achieved your dreams, yet still feel like garbage all the time because that's just how your brain works.
As Gary said, get help if you need it, suggest help for a loved one if they need it, and to hell with what people think.
RIP, Chester.
Mental Health is with a person for life and needs that support through out it. From my experiences, there is no cure, only treatment.
Being there for someone is huge !!!
I don't understand why this would be an option if you are globally successful, have all the talent in the world, millions of fans, sales, sold out tours, a loving family, and all the resources to get the help that you need. But much like addiction, depression and suicide dosent care who you are. It's an ugly thing in your head that people cannot see, choose to ignore when addressed, and slowly but surely damages your mental health that could lead you to make decisions you wouldn't do in the right state of mind. We need to do more to shine light on this topic rather than just give opinion when a celebrity dies (like I'm doing right now..) Ironically enough for most people is dealing with it through music, but sometimes it's not enough. If people are this much in a bad place that it won't help them, then there should be more free proffessional help available or it needs to be publicized more, because if somebody with Chester's status can't reach out then there is millions of others that can't. So this needs to be taken more seriously and mental health in general should be publicized more in a professional and serious way.
Well said, KixChix. I, too have experienced friends and family who took their own lives as the result of severe depression. I still can't get used to the fact Benni from of his dear friend, the late Chris Cornell, were incapable of appreciating their accomplishments. Why isn't that enough for people with their talents let that drive them to survive!