The death of Robin Williams has many revealing their own struggles with depression and mental illness, including Jack Marschall, a former reporter at Cleveland ABC station WEWS. “I didn’t have the guts to take my own life but I was wishing someone would take my own life,” Marschall told the station.
Marschall has written a book about his experience, “Shades of Gray”, revealing the extent of his illness, and his efforts to keep his depression hidden:
“I wanted to hide the fact that I was going through depression. I hurt so bad that I tried to put on that mask that I was feeling and acting okay, that I was happy Jack that everybody knew and I was anything but,” Marschall reflected.
Marschall joins other local news reporters and anchors who have revealed their struggles with depression and mental illness, including Lauren Rowe, who left Orlando CBS station WKMG earlier this year to focus on treatment for depression; Minneapolis meteorologist Ken Barlow created a nonprofit to fight stigma after announcing he had bipolar disorder; and in March I wrote about my own mental illness.