You're right, they can be used to treat depression. But my point is the same. Heath Ledger took it upon himself to put ALL those drugs into his body, knowing full well the possible (probable) outcome.

The man had a well documented drug problem. If he was depressed, he should have gotten help.

I know a thing or two about depression, having been through a serious bout of it myself.

Well then you should understand that depression is a [BadWord],as I've been battling it for some time now.You get so used to it,that you can't feel normal without being depressed(if that makes any sense).So yeas,he was an idiot for going over board,but i think he was going for the self medicating effect and quick fix.

If he was depressed he should have been on a seratonin uptake inhibitor, and if he had insomnia, he could have had ambien or something of that ilk. The pain killers only would have made him more depressed.

Yep. Heath Ledger was evil!

If only the world were that simple.

It's obvious to see who here has never dealt with depression/anxiety and insomnia. It's easy to point a finger at someone who has something you don't and say "he should know better". Mental illness can be overpowering to the point where you will do anything to feel normal.

The world would be a better place if everyone were better educated about such things. Maybe Ledger has had a history with drugs but that would just make me feel sorry for him even more, not ashamed of him. If he had an addiction plus whatever other problems then it's ridiculous for anyone to say "he should have gotten help". Easier said than done.

I've suffered from insomnia most of my life as well as anxiety. It makes me want to cut my chest open and throw my heart against the wall some nights when I can't sleep and I'm feeling depressed to the point of an anxiety attack. And I'm pretty sure I don't suffer as bad as a lot of people out there including, probably, Heath Ledger.

I don't think it's fair to judge him because he died of a prescription drug overdose. Society is obsessed with how crazy Britney Spears has gone and they feel sorry for her, but when someone like Heath Ledger quietly dies of what might, in the end, be similar reasons people judge him.