[user104658]

Originally Posted by Livia

I think Robin Williams' mental health problems were well documented. Lots of people have marriage breakdowns and financial troubles - including women - but not everyone takes their own life because of them. Besides, what does anyone know about his marriages and private life beyond unsubstantiated gossip?

This really... it's impossible to say whether he had issues with his mental health because of the problems in his life, or if many of the problems in his life were in fact caused by problems with his mental health. It's most likely a bit of both, these things always are, a self-sustaining cycle really but trying to decide whether it's more one or the other is purely speculation.

If we are to speculate, though, from what I know he did suffer from Bipolar disorder (colloquially known as "Manic depression") throughout his entire life and this isn't a disorder that's caused by life circumstances (like other depressive disorders and episodes can be) but is a genuine imbalance in brain chemistry. Then again, it's quite clear that a lot of Robin William's absolute best work was done while he was in the "up" phases of Bipolar... he wouldn't have been who he was without it. There's a sad irony in that. What finished him off in the end was a large part of what made him great in the first place.