Parkinson's: This Changes Everything
When I heard the news of Robin Williams' death, I, like many, was stunned. I had my own thoughts about it, but I was not going to write anything about it. I read many tributes to him, one from his daughter, some from people who had met him once and some from people who knew him well. And I didn't think, that anything I would write could be of any value to what was already out there.
Then today, I saw the piece about his having been diagnosed with Parkinson's, and had already beginning the battle against this currently unbeatable disease. When I read this, tears came to my eyes, as this revelation really hit home with me, as my dad passed away late last year after battling the disease for years.
In the earlier part of my dad's fight with Parkinson's, I talked to him on the phone frequently. Many times during our calls, he told me many times, that because of the effects this disease was having on him (both body and brain/neurological functions), he could understand why people who had it had a propensity for suicidal thoughts. I made him promise me that he would never commit suicide and he made me that promise. He would tell me in later conversations that he continued to have the thoughts, but he wasn't going to break the promise he made.
I'm glad he kept that promise, even though it meant he had to endure years of pain and anguish. I'll never forget what he told me one day, which to him, summed up a great deal of what this disease does to a person. His words were: "It's really hard to go from having everyone want to hear what you have to say about something, to now, where nobody listens to anything you say."
I did some research and found that while depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts are more prevalent for those who have the disease, the actual rate for suicide among Parkinson's patients is lower than that of the general population. See here. The discussion in the article attempts to explain this, but the reasons are speculative at best, such as: those with Parkinson's may be debilitated to the point where they are inhibited in carrying out the suicide.
I guess my reason for writing this is to say that maybe we need to take a second and consider this new information. From what I understand, Robin was already prone to depression, and adding this disease on top of that, must have made it incredibly difficult for him. This disease changes the brain. It causes people to think and act differently than they did before. I think it's quite possible that Parkinson's turns out to have been a major factor in this tragedy.
When I heard the news of Robin Williams' death, I, like many, was stunned. I had my own thoughts about it, but I was not going to write anything about it. I read many tributes to him, one from his daughter, some from people who had met him once and some from people who knew him well. And I didn't think, that anything I would write could be of any value to what was already out there.
Then today, I saw the piece about his having been diagnosed with Parkinson's, and had already beginning the battle against this currently unbeatable disease. When I read this, tears came to my eyes, as this revelation really hit home with me, as my dad passed away late last year after battling the disease for years.
In the earlier part of my dad's fight with Parkinson's, I talked to him on the phone frequently. Many times during our calls, he told me many times, that because of the effects this disease was having on him (both body and brain/neurological functions), he could understand why people who had it had a propensity for suicidal thoughts. I made him promise me that he would never commit suicide and he made me that promise. He would tell me in later conversations that he continued to have the thoughts, but he wasn't going to break the promise he made.
I'm glad he kept that promise, even though it meant he had to endure years of pain and anguish. I'll never forget what he told me one day, which to him, summed up a great deal of what this disease does to a person. His words were: "It's really hard to go from having everyone want to hear what you have to say about something, to now, where nobody listens to anything you say."
I did some research and found that while depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts are more prevalent for those who have the disease, the actual rate for suicide among Parkinson's patients is lower than that of the general population. See here. The discussion in the article attempts to explain this, but the reasons are speculative at best, such as: those with Parkinson's may be debilitated to the point where they are inhibited in carrying out the suicide.
I guess my reason for writing this is to say that maybe we need to take a second and consider this new information. From what I understand, Robin was already prone to depression, and adding this disease on top of that, must have made it incredibly difficult for him. This disease changes the brain. It causes people to think and act differently than they did before. I think it's quite possible that Parkinson's turns out to have been a major factor in this tragedy.
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