It was made public today that Robin Williams, who had this week taken his own life, had just been diagnosed and was in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. New York Daily News states,
“In a four-paragraph statement, Susan Schneider (Williams wife) — who was sleeping in their California home when Williams killed himself — said her husband opted to keep news of the chronic, degenerative disorder to himself.”
Not only did the announcement of his death shock the world, but also it hit hard in the Parkinson’s community. With up to 60% of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease struggling with depression, it’s not a subject to be taken lightly. A man who was loved by many, Williams found himself alone and in a very dark place. This leaves many of us Parkies feeling hopeless and weakened. I mean, if Williams who always lit up a room and left smiles everywhere he went could see suicide as the desirable option, what hope do the rest of us have? What can we do to change this?
Two words: Raise Awareness. Some of us might feel hiding our pain is the socially acceptable thing to do. I will admit it, I am guilty of shoving down the pain and forcing a smile on my face, just so no one knows! Many of us Parkies have felt depression, but the important thing is to not see it as a sign of weakness or be embarrassed by it. Do something about it! Tell a friend, a family member or someone in your PD Wolf pack. Let them help you push those pesky dark clouds away.
Raising awareness means letting others know just how much depression can impact who you are as a person. So I will go first and tell you that even the Perky Parkie can get a case of the blues. Just this week, I was prescribed a new medication to help with Dyskinesia. The first day, I felt great! I felt in control of my body and even got compliments on how great I was looking…. which, between you and me…. I always look stunning, so I have no idea what they were talking about. Then the next day, I started becoming tearful, even cried while exercising with my trainer! Yes, squats can hurt, but you don’t need to cry about it.
Then when I got home, I started having thoughts of “Everyone I know is going to die before me from this disease, because I am so young, I have so much medical debt that I will never be able to pay it off in my lifetime, and my favorite… I wonder who will miss me when I am gone.” Whoa! You can’t get rid of me that fast! I still have so many fro yo places to visit. I am not making light of my feelings; I was not in the right state of mind. But with my education as a Marital and Family Therapist, I was able to pick up on these abnormal thought patterns. I contacted a loved one and asked for help. Then the next day, I reported it to my Neurologist and after a medication adjustment; I am back to my annoyingly happy self. Cheers!
Remember, Parkinson’s disease is a disorder that is impacting brain chemicals. This is not something that you can just work through. If you are feeling depressed or suicidal contact your Physician, there is help. Feel free to share your story of depression and how you get through the hard times. I would love to hear your story and it might give others some insight on how to pull yourself out of a dark hole.
24-Hour Suicidal Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Great post…your spirit is outstanding!! I’m a PDer’s wife & carer, so I’ve nothing to offer except this: I’m gonna stop calling my husband’s unrelenting, shameless optimism his ‘other disease’! And I too, like y’all, we’re concerned with the ‘reminder’ of PD with depression in Robin Williams’ death. However, it has to be said he was a depressive and dysthymic BEFORE his PD ever reared it’s ugly head. I’ve seen the articles that state a PD precursor could be depression, but I am depressive & dysthymic since childhood. Ya, boo, sucks.
Allison…you are magnificent! Keep it up, We ALL need your soul, humour and triumph….even when it doesn’t feel that way. You ROCK!
Well blow me down ! Popeye forgot his spinach. This is terrible. I bet Bluto was to blame. I heard he had Parkinson’s berginning and didn’t see much point in imitating us Parkies. Too bad he didn’t get to see we still can be perky and find a reason to live. Now why am I Perky? Oh yeah- it beats being Grumpy. But then again it helps to know that you have others who can help you.
Ha Ha! You made me smile! I wish he could have been around to meet us great Parkies. We are a pretty amazing community!
Well done.:)
you always hit the nail on the head. thanks for your honestly and insight.
Allison,
Thank you for today’s blog posting. Although, it was not as cheery as usual it was important and informative. The more detail that I have read and heard about Robin Williams’ death, the more shocked, I am as how and why. That’s why it is so critical to raise awareness about depression and Parkinson’s Disease. It’s also important to support and participate in clinical trials and work to find a cure or at least stop or slow the progression of the disease.
Thank you again,
Dan
I just hope that non PD world doesn’t equate a PD Diagnosis with the despair that Robin demonstrated. Depression killed Williams. Not pd, but I don’t even want to see pd and suicide in the same paragraph. Lets use Michael j fox and Bryant grant as our public eye pders Williams exemplifies the fragility of the depressed
Great point Alan! Thank you for your comment!
Good points, Alan! It’s important that the media hears all sides and communicates the correct information.
Thank you for these comments. I would like to encourage other celebrities who might be keeping their PD condition to themselves to consider publicly joining us. Knowing they are a contributing to the communication of an increasingly organized community, actively bringing public awareness and understanding of PD, can reduce the feelings of isolation and lonely futility for themselves and many others.