Depression wasn't the culprit for Robin Williams' death?
A year after the actor-comedian committed suicide, his wife, Susan Williams reveals shocking details about her husband's health before his untimely death.
Many believed the actor was suffering from severe depression months before committing suicide and although it was true, Susan told People Magazine that there was more to his depression than meets the eye and that it was not the real culprit in Robin Williams' death.
"It was not depression that killed Robin," Susan said. "Depression was one of let's call it 50 symptoms and it was a small one."
According to the report, the "Good Will Hunting" actor was suffering from a brain illness called Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) or Lewy Body Dementia (LBD), which debilitates a person's mental faculties and causes motor function impairment and hallucinations.
DLB is reportedly misdiagnosed frequently and is known as the second most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer's disease, according to Mayo Clinic.
"They present themselves like a pinball machine," Susan said of DLB. "You don't know exactly what you're looking at."
According to her, a few months before Robin Williams' death, he suffered anxiety attacks, a head injury due to a "miscalculation" and difficulty in muscle movements.
Unfortunately, Oscar-winning actor's DLB disease was not diagnosed while he was alive and was only pin-pointed during his autopsy.
"I've spent this last year trying to find out what killed Robin," Susan said. "To understand what we were fighting, what we were in the trenches fighting and one of the doctors said, 'Robin was very aware that he was losing his mind and there was nothing he could do about it,'"
Now, Susan Williams hopes to help others suffering the same disease as her husband did.
"I pray to God that it will shed some light on Lewy bodies for the millions of people and their loved ones who are suffering with it," she said. "Because we didn't know. He didn't know."
Robin Williams died on Aug. 11, 2014 after overdosing on antidepressants, caffeine and levodopa.
He was found dead by his assistant, hanging by a belt in a closet door frame with cuts on his wrist. Williams was 63 years old.
