That was unexpected.

The National Enqurer though ... how credible is the story?
Their site seems to be down too...

That sucks... if it's even true. Still waiting for more reliable sources, though. I guess he was lying in Wedding Crashers when he said that the "don't kill myself books" weren't his.

Didn't his character in the movie 'The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) try to kill himself? This could end up like the Belushi brothers. We lose a great source of entertainment like John (Owen), and we're left w/ the mediocre antics of his brother Jim (Luke). Tsk.

I hope he's going to be OK, it is very sad. Also, celebrities try to make it sound like the tabloids get nothing right, but the National Enquirer has gotten a lot right before.

thats really difficult for me to believe...

Unbelievable! I can't believe this! Why the movie stars do this things? He is a nice actor...

I don't really want to comment on this, but I found the comparison to a homeless man in poor taste considering nothing is ever 'news worthy' about them here. What is the line between significant now and days...

When I first saw this my mouth literally fell open. I'm not sure why, but its probably because he is such a prominent actor, and not Parsi Hilton or somebody. Strange.

As someone who has attempted suicide myself,
I know exactly what he is feeling, he has a long and painfull
road ahead of him to get better.
I wish him the very best and a speedy recovery

Horray for the comment above from the NTV/NAT Group... I've never heard anyone else say that... but I totally agree. I've been watching Owen since I saw the 8 min. B/W short made of Bottle Rocket. Owen is the shining talent from that band of brothers, not to mention the necessar half to a good Wes Anderson film.

shit thats horrible .lets hope he is alright

Wow, I really hope Owen's ok. It's weird because this kind of thing happens to the most unexpected people and it's always really hard to believe. I wish him all the best.

hard to believe.

two years later I see a good looking man who seems to be doing ok....I hope if he gets into his black whole again he will turn to LOVE and not to ..................

Wow MTV/NAT Group... comparing Luke Wilson to Jim Belushi is the worst analogy i have ever heard, I'll admit Owen is "the shining talent from that band of brother's" as Hawk01 said, but Luke is definitely not as bad as Jim Belushi, Jim Belushi is like a garbage can full of mayonaise. You don't have to insult Luke to give praise to Owen.

The money, the fame, the women, drugs, the rest...they can fill the empty spot for a short time, then it leaks out. Love, the man needs love like everybody else. I'm guessing he instinctively knows it and perhaps really didn't want to die.

Why is it so hard for you people to beleive that someone could commit suicide??

I find it incredibly distasteful as well that anyone would be so inconsiderate and stupid to assume that just because someone is famous or has money, that they could never become affected with an illness that shows no discrimination. Depression or other mental disorders are the most common source of hopeless and helpless feelings, the ones that cause people to feel so trapped that they see no other way out but to take their own lives.

As a person who suffers from depression (I have an appt. to see a Dr. which was very difficult for me to make) I hope that Mr. Wilson gets the help that he desperately needs. I personally can't imagine going through what I'm going through being in the public eye, and I'm saddened that he felt that he had no one that he could turn to, but he seems to have a good support system in place, something that not a lot of others have.

It's the stigma and ignorance that I've read above in a few comments, including the original authors comparison to a homeless man, that keeps people from seeking proper help for a condition that is not only treatable, but NOT the person's fault.

I find it incredibly distasteful as well that anyone would be so inconsiderate and stupid to assume that just because someone is famous or has money, that they...

What you find distasteful doesn't affect reality. It's simple math. Do you think more people kill themselves because a) they're poor and have lost everything, or b) because they are super successful & famous stars with millions of dollars?

And when you realize the answer is A, that should help clear up why people seem surprised when someone that falls into group B does it.

It's the same idea about how it *used to be* that when a child was molested, people would be surprised that it was by a priest. Anymore, it's the norm, but it's the same idea.

As a person who suffers from depression

Oh, please... is that what's wrong? It's bothering you to see Owen get attention here so we need to hear your sad story?

I personally can’t imagine going through what I’m going through being in the public eye

And yet you couldn't keep it to yourself on a public website.

Like those that "attempt" suicide, the "depressed" just seem to be looking for attention.

I wonder how long until someone claims laziness is a disease?

It reminds me of the fat people that try to blame some disease for when they make the choice to eat at McDonalds 3 times a day.

It’s the stigma and ignorance that I’ve read above in a few comments, including the original authors comparison to a homeless man, that keeps people from seeking proper help for a condition

Now you're a doctor? Or is that just a wild guess?

People that want help don't kill themselves. And those that injure themselves while claiming it as a suicide attempt just want attention.

It's harder to stay alive than die, so the number of attempted suicides really just makes people look pathetic. "Hey, did you hear about so-and-so? Yeah, he took 3 Aspirin instead of 2... poor guy just wanted to end it all."

On the other hand, people that blow their head off with a shotgun or just from a 20 story building... they mean business.

It's too bad if there's any truth to it. Something tells me it's blown way out of proportion though.

Prayin' for ya Mr. Wilson.

Owen Wilson is a huge factor in my life- my comedic source, my favorite actor, fun to watch in anything. That aside and wondering what will come of this, I just pray that he's okay right now.

Suicide is such a tragedy for anyone. My heart goes out to everyone that chooses this for themselves. When you know the person it truly hits home. When you watch countless movies of your favorite actor, Owen Wilson, you feel like you know them. Negative news about them, especially attempted suicide, hits you like a ton of bricks. It literally makes you stop in your tracks and try to catch your breath. You just can't believe what you are hearing and pray that it is not true. All I can say is that my prayers go out to everyone that feel that this is all they have left to escape their troubles.

God Bless!!!!

For Mike, depression is a real illness and a leading cause of suicide. These are facts, and if you want to continue living in ignorance that's your problem. But it doesn't give you right to put people down.

Not everyone that's having a bad day is a "disease" victim. Get real.

And let me guess, you don't see that more people with this "disease" are not super successful millionaires? Instead, they're most losers, which apparently makes them more prone to catch the depression disease.

Again, weak people try to play victim and call their flaws diseases. Sad people, fat people, blah blah blah... Why take responsibility for anything when you can just play victim? If you can't blame someone else, then just call it a disease.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I read this news. Owen always seems happy when you see him in a picture. Guess you can never really tell what goes on inside someone.

I'm so sorry this happened to him. Suicide isn't a choice, it's the only option. I tried to commit suicide once, it didn't feel like a choice to me, I was ill. I thank God I'm doing better now and for making me see how beautifull this life is, even on a dark day. I hope Owen can find the same peace.

My best wishes to you, Owen, you're an amazing actor (you've made me laugh so many times), of course I don't know you personally, but you seem like a great guy. Please stay around a bit longer, this world is a little better with you in it!

Whoa, Mike... you are waaaaay off base here. Any psychologist can explain to you that clinical depression is an actual illness. It is VERY different than having a bad day, or having something in your life that you don't like. The problem is that we used the word 'depressed' casually but incorrectly.

Clinical Depression is when a person feels sad no matter what their circumstances. You can give them everything and anything, but unless they're treated for the illness. It affects about 12 percent of the US population, conservatively.

While it is true that people who suffer from clinical depression are often unable to deal with high-stress situations (job loss, break-ups, etc.), often times they'll attempt suicide or self-abuse regardless, depending on the severity of their condition.

It's also important to not that we can trace the biological origins of depression. For instance, we know that depression occurs postpartum with many women. Depression is something a doctor can diagnose and treat-- it's something a scientist can track inside the brain.

You are correct that not everyone having a bad day is a disease victim, but that's not what depression is. Plenty of us have horrible things happen in life, but would never actually harm ourselves in response. That's a key difference, and one way to understand depression.

Maybe most indicative of your ignorance on this issue is that most suicide victims are "losers." Wow. Statistically, suicide is the 8th leading cause of death in the U.S. among men. And here's a key point... the average suicide victim is MORE affluent than the average person. Suicide disproportionately affects people in the medical ,legal, and law enforcement professions. The reason for this is pretty simple... people who suffer from clinical depression working in high-stress jobs. Bottom line: while depression can affect anyone, the average suicide victim is a white male in his 50s or 60s with a healthy income. So this idea that suicide correlates with "losers" is just wrong. Your statement that suicide is more prevalent among the poor who have lost everything is wrong, wrong, wrong.

Your comments are pretty insensitive and show a general ignorance on the issue of depression. Clinical depression has affected everyone from Abraham Lincoln to Elvis Presley. There are a LOT of very successful people who suffer from it, in fact, they're more likely to commit suicide, because they're often placed in high stress environments, but never get treatment/medication due to social stigmas furthered by people like yourself.

"Like those that 'attempt' suicide, the 'depressed' just seem to be looking for attention."

Mike...that is the most retarded comment I have EVER heard! Please try to inform yourself a little bit more before you make ignorant comments like that again. While SOME people who attempt suicide might do it just to get attention...the majority of people do it because they are depressed and don't get help for it or something like that. What if a girl who was molested when she was younger attempts suicide but someone finds her before she's dead...and she lives...she "attempted" suicide, but because she didn't succeed, she was looking for attention? I think not, asshole.

people who generalize situations like this are what is wrong with the world. And I hate people who use the "suicide is a cry for help" story...it's bullshit...I don't care if people know my story or not, so I have no objections to posting about it online just to show people like you that you are WRONG in what you've said. My senior year of high school shit got real bad for me, I took almost 100 pills, asshole...I didn't die, I was sick for a long time, though...and DIDN'T tell anyone about it. My parents found out and made me get help.

I didn't do it as a cry for help because I didn't tell anyone about what I had done, and second...a person who is only wanting attention doesn't take close to 100 pills.

So shut your fucking mouth.

Mike.

I know you can be smarter than that.

Actors act. Maybe that's why they feel bad sometimes.

Pretending has never truly made me feel right.

...I hope you get the point.


P.S. I kind of like Owen Wilson too

It's no mystery why Owen seems happy off the set. Being high makes a lot of people seem happy. So does success, fame & millions of dollars.

I like him too -- he's one of my favorites. But that doesn't change the reality of how easy it is to kill yourself--IF you really want to die.

Emo sissies like Sean make it sound like it's hard, just because their idea of a suicide attempt is eating 4 Flintstones chewable vitamins instead of just 1 or 2.

Mike, you are very uninformed. I have no idea why you would attack someone, regardless of their income when they are mentally unstable enough to attempt such a saddening scenario. You comment on the drugs a lot but if you were to research this topic you would find that a lot of mentally unstable individuals are intensely attracted to such substances because it temporarily takes them away from their 'real' view of their lives. Brain scans of people with varying mental illnesses actually actively look different than people without these disorders. It is not a mind over matter thing for people who are clinically depressed, they just get to a point where they don't care anymore or are desperate for a way to end the experiences they are having because to them, no matter how successful anyone else would consider them...they don't see it that way. I believe that you are so aggressive toward this topic either because you are in a position where you highly envy his life (and would not live it the same way he is; seeing it as a waste) or someone close to you attempted or committed suicide and this is your way of writing it off...believing there is no reason why someone could or would do it. You need to be more considerate of others when posting your comments. You have a right to believe what you want but attacking others is not going to give you any favor. Good luck with your troubles; I hope you grow from this experience. I also hope Owen gets the help and proper support that he needs.

I hope you intelligent people won't waste any more of your valuable time trying to educate Mike. You'd have better luck with a rock. It has more feelings, and a higher I.Q.
Let's remember to ask God to hold Owen and his family in his hands during this difficult time, and hope that things get better for them soon.

Exactly. When it comes to depression and feeling bad enough to see suicide as a way to relieve it, I don't think it ultimately matters how much money you have or how famous you are.

And to judge the person by saying things like "oh but he has everything to live for", and to casually label someone just another "weak" attention-seeking celebrity is just ignorant. The point is that we don't know why one day might suddenly feel more unbearable for a person than the previous ones. And I very much hope Owen gets better.

In response to the comment-"How can a person like Owen Wilson be depressed?"- in view of all the much less fortunate people in the world like the homeless, etc etc....Well, that's not how the mind works. Clinical depression can occur for no external reason at all. Just because people have money, fame, health, doesn't mean they can't fall victim to depression and suicide. Its a sickness and a very painful one which no one can fully know unless they've been down that road before. And everyone's mental pain is unique to them. No one can judge another person's depression as being unnecessary.

Yeah, I'm troubled... that hurts coming from a bunch of people that are probably wearing all black and sitting around listening to My Chemical Romance.

And to the genius that thinks I or someone I know went through it--wrong (big surprise). In that case, I'd probably be buying into the crap that's being spewed here. I don't personally know anyone that's pathetic enough to do the suicide attempt for attention thing.

I'd like to see any of you show some stats that show a HIGH percentage of depression/suicide can be backed up with a TRUE medical condition. A psychiatrist doesn't count, as the belief in this crap is what lines their pockets. Go find all the brain scans that show the real problems and compare that number to the actual number of people that claim to have a "disease" or that try to kill themselves.

Again, it's just like how 4 people can have a true eating disorder, so millions of people try to claim the same thing just to justify being a fat useless slob.

Yeah, I get. Everyone's a victim and everything's a disease. Boo hoo.

If you try to kill yourself, you will be dead. That is a fact. Keep denying it all you want, but it's true. And if the 5 pills & 1/2" cut to the wrist don't kill you, don't be a quitter--try again, this time with a gun. And if you can't succeed at something as simple as dying, then maybe it's time to admit you're not as depressed as you want people to believe.

Anyone that lives to claim they tried to die is nothing more than a pathetic liar.

Especially the pill-poppers, because they know there's no way to prove how many they took. Blow half your face off with a shotgun, then come tell me about how depressed you are and how you wanted to die. Then, I 'might' take you seriously.

Yeah um...
No one cares how long people have been following Owens work or how much movie knowledge a person can cram into a comment or what people's personal hypotheses are. The main thing is that poor Owens been suffering and we should all wish him a speedy recovery and that our thougts are with him and his family because theyre probably not feeling so hot right now.

Well he obviously didnt want to die otherwise he would have finished the job. But hopefully he doesnt try again and gets the help he needs.

this mike character is probably right, but why keep going on about it? Fact is that Owen Wilson probably tried to end his life. He's awesome (in movies/other stuff at least) and what this will do to affect his work is in question. When did this become a suicide debate, one against 20?

You're soooo tough, man. I mean, you're like John McClane meets Chuck Norris. All these whiney emo kids could learn so much about toughening up from you.

What are you, like, thirteen? I'm pretty sure clinical depression didn't first pop up in response to My Chemical Romance.

You seem to have a difficult time understanding the difference between a melancholy state and the actual mental illness.

Let me try to explain it to you this way: while plenty of people will ponder suicide or talk about suicide, only a fraction of that group have a genuine mental state that overrrides the very powerful survival instinct nature builds in us.

As for your ridiculously insensitive remarks about people who attempt suicide, many victims are trying to go peacefully and in a way that doesn't cause pain. Many people pass out while slitting their wrists before they can make a deep enough insertion (it's a natural defensive body reflex). But huge numbers of people are successful don't forget-- suicide is the 8th highest cause of death among males, and 11th overall.

I recognize you wouldn't understand that, since you're so tough you could probably gnaw your own arm off before passing out and all these depressives are just little pussies next to you, but still... the survival instinct is a very powerful thing, and it works both mentally and physically to slow a depressive in their efforts to take their own life. which is a good thing, obviously.

As for your coments about brain scans, I don't really understand what you mean. Okay, I get that there will always be young people who adopt a gloomy outlook as part of their cultural persona. When I was a kid, it was goths, nowadays its emos, whatever... but a person who actually attempts suicide is beyond some cultural impersonation-- they're in a genuinely depressive state, and any doctor-- psychiatrist, surgeon, general practitioner, whoever-- will tell you that.

Everyone is NOT a victim. If a person suffers from clinical depression, they have a responsiblity to get help from a doctor. There are scores of medications available to treat the illness and allow them to live normal lives.

But pretending this isn't a real illness is flat-out ignorant. It's not tough, or self-reliant, it's stupid.

Wow... you're really sick. A suicide attempt is a cry for help. Please stop referring to an actual, diagnosable illness as being "emo." It just makes you look ignorant. He's not a whiner trying to get attention, he's someone who needs medical help.

This kind of insensitivity usually comes back on a person.

"Having the balls..." oooh, big tough guy...

I don't think Mike is right at all.
First of all, several of his points are completely irrelevent.
Also, people do not have the choice of either killing themselves because they're poor and have lost everything, or because they're rich and famous. There are issues surrounding Owen Wilson and his situation that none of us have any idea about, and he can't be put down compared to other people just because they dont have as much money. If someone is really superficial enough to assume that money solves all problems then I can't change their mind, but it's callous and ignorant .

Personally, I don't believe he did it for attention. Some people just don't want to live anymore, and it's as simple as that. It could also have been a cry for help, but there is a difference between that and simply seeking attention like a truffle-hunting french pig. It's pretty disgusting that some people have the flippancy to disregard him as just another attention-whore, while all he wants right now is to be left alone and "heal in private". It doesn't sound like he's basking in the so-called attention he is recieving.

Hey, John gets it too!

Yes, Kurt definitely wanted to die. And even someone that was already on drugs knew to grab the gun, instead of just doing more drugs.

I guess his depression "disease" wasn't bad enough to kill his common sense, since he could still figure out what the right tool for the job was.

Wow... Mike... you are seriously one sick, twisted individual.

The point isn't whether or not he was trying to kill himself or just some kind of attempt. Attempts themselves are cries for help and indicators of a depressive state.

I'm done. I'll respect Peter's wishes on this, since, as he noted, people close to Owen might be reading this.

I'll just say that Mike, the kind of insensitivity and malice you've demonstrated on this thread really indicate you're not a very good human being. I hope you learn, at some point in your life, that your views on this are small-minded and ignorant. These are people in a lot of pain. As I said, but you ignored, our naturally installed survival instinct means that yes, many people will not actually commit suicide, but that doesn't mean they aren't sick and they aren't hurting.

I've heard a lot of strange arguments on the net before, but this has to be the most twisted and disturbing I've come across. It's sad that there are people like you out there.

I didn't demonstrate any malice, retard.

I didn't say people weren't a mess if they were even thinking about it. Here's a recap:

People that want to die, do.

Failed suicide attempts are nothing more than pathetic attempts to get attention.

Nice try, calling that survival instincts. Survival instincts never tell you to eat a bunch of pills, but now quite enough to die.

The ones with actual medical problems are few and far between. I'm still waiting for someone to prove otherwise--not gonna happen.

It's the same as fat people desperately clinging to the eating disorder story.

And I'm sure Owen's family have better things to do right now than read through these comments. If Owen doesn't want this kind of attention, then he needs to get his act together.

What's next? Will you guys claim that the behavior of other famous people like Lindsay Lohan & Paris Hilton are also disease-related? Or do they have to scratch their wrists and eat some aspirin before they can use that excuse?

But you just keep thinking you're a great person because you side with people that aren't smart enough to cope with life, just like everyone else in the world has to.

When you're done patting yourself on the back here, maybe you can go hug a bum and tell him to cheer up, because maybe someday, they'll come up with a cure for the homeless disease.

Gee. I don't get it. Summer was jail season. Fall is rehab season. Is Owen just so fashion forward that he is setting the Winter trend? Suicide season? Gosh. Anything for a cover story, I guess.

Wow... pathetic.

"people that aren’t smart enough to cope with life"

Yeah. That's it.

You're disgusting.

Well, Mike (my name is also Mike), I think you need a little reality check. Your arguments offend my intellect and show your complete lack of respect for other human beings. Clinical depression is a scientifically proven disease. Maybe you should go read a book (no, I'm not going to spew references and quotations to you - EDUCATION is a personal responsibility). There are people in this world that have dedicated their lives to studying the roots of depression. You say psychiatrists line their pockets by believing in depression. Well, some might be in it for the money, but you left out the most important individuals when it comes to psychology: psychologists and researchers. If you don't know the difference, psychologists are not doctors of medicine. I've spent the last two years of undergraduate reading textbooks (written by experts) and peer-reviewed literature on mental disorders. Too many people shut their eyes to reality and all the possibilities in the world these days. Ignorance is not a clinical disease, but it sure is transmittable.

Mike, I love you and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. Oh yea, BOTTLE ROCKET is my favorite movie. And if this story is true, I hope Owen feels better soon. Walking on the edge of life can be extremely sobering, and sometimes necessary.

I guess you missed the part where I said if you're going to reply with pointless psychobabble, back it up with some medical stats that back it up.

It also seems that some of you can't read. I didn't say show me where it's a disease. I said even if a few are, they are few and far between. Notice that none of the geniuses here have yet to link any stats to the percentages, because it would kill their claims. Again, it's exactly like obesity. You get a few people with an eating disorder, then millions cling to the excuse and use it to justify being a fat twinkie-eating slob.

You know, it's also a fact that people get stomach aches. How many people claim to be really sick to serve themselves, whether it's missing school, work, etc..? Or does everyone believe the lying doesn't extend to more serious issues?

At least you realize it's about money and not the well-being of others, whether you fully admit it or not. These type of "doctors" rely on people not getting better for their income.

Some might call that a biased information source. Would you go to an oil company if you wanted recommendations for an electric car?

I truly hope Owen gets better and that people like you Mike smarten up and shut their mouths.