logo

Robin Williams' final days revealed in new book

Edduin Carvajal
May 07, 2018
05:14 P.M.

It is widely known that Robin Williams, the actor best known for Jumanji, Good Morning Vietnam, and Good Will Hunting, committed suicide on August 11, 2014.

Advertisement

However, not everyone knows what drove him to take his own life. According to Inquisitr, Dave Itzkoff published a book titled Robin wherein he revealed many aspects of Williams’ life.

While several people linked his passing with his previous battles with substance abuse, things were completely different. In May 2014, Williams was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

The truth is that the autopsy revealed that he didn’t have that illness but a different one called Lewy body dementia. It is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease because it has similar symptoms, but they are different conditions.

Advertisement

In William’s case, he started to lose his memory, had insomnia, and lost his sense of smell. There was a point in which he believed people were stealing things from him and he experienced several panic attacks.

As a way to help him, he was put on antipsychotic medication but it wasn’t enough. There were times in which he would ‘find himself stuck in a frozen stance, unable to move.’

Lewy body can have many symptoms, including difficulties remembering new memories, personality changes, and psychiatric symptoms.

Advertisement

It affects more than a million people in the U.S. per year but it is difficult to diagnose. Just as most degenerative brain diseases, it is incurable and the medicines available at the moment just ease the symptoms.

To expand people’s knowledge about Lewy body and to make it easier to diagnose, there are clinical trials being conducted. Dr. Bradley Boeve from the Mayo Clinic revealed that the ‘experienced eye’ can easily differentiate it from Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease.

Susan Schneider, who was married to Williams in his final years, labeled the illness as a ‘terrorist within his brain.’ She confessed that he experienced nearly all of the 40-plus symptoms of the disease and that it was very difficult for both of them.

Advertisement
info
Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories!
By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy
Advertisement
Related posts

Robin Williams’ 1st Wife Was Pushed Out of Kid’s Life by His 2nd Wife Who Initially Was His Son’s Nanny

April 04, 2022

Robin Williams Wanted His Children to Be Proud of Him — Meet His 3 Kids Who He Cherished

March 09, 2022

Michael J Fox Kept His Illness a Secret for Years after His Wife of 3 Decades Cried about His Diagnosis

March 20, 2022

Charlie Sheen Is Battling a Virus with No Cure & Kept It a Secret for His Daughter's Sake

February 24, 2022

Farrah Fawcett Had Exhibited Painful Symptoms for a Long Time before Finding Out She Had Cancer

February 18, 2022

Michael J Fox Was ‘Isolating’ Himself From Wife of 34 Years & Kids - She Helped Him to Become Part Of Family Again

March 19, 2022

‘60 Minutes’ Lesley Stahl Never Stops Supporting Her Husband of 44 Years Fighting Parkinson’s Disease

January 28, 2022

John Schneider Nursed His 'Miracle' Wife Back to Health after Discovering She Would Not Live Long

February 09, 2022

What Caused Richard Pryor’s Death? The Comedian Was Inducted into the Netflix Hall of Fame

May 23, 2022

Bruce Willis Is Not the Only Celebrity Who Suffered from Aphasia — Sharon Stone and Others' Lives Changed after Disease

April 04, 2022

Joanne Woodward ‘Doesn’t Even Remember’ the Love of Her Life Paul Newman after His Death due to Her Health State

April 03, 2022

Inside Neil Cavuto's Health Issues That Resulted in Open-Heart Surgery and His Recent Absence On-Screen

February 10, 2022

Grandfather with Alzheimer's Finds New Joy in Life after Befriending a 4-Year-Old Boy

March 20, 2022

What Disease Does Selma Blair Have? The Actress Speaks Candidly about Her Health

May 13, 2022