Robin Williams' suicide may have been triggered by his having a disease called
Lewy body dementia, TMZ reports.
Lewy body dementia affects about 1.3 million people in the United States with cognitive, physical, sleep, and behavioral symptoms similar to diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, causing the disease to be underdiagnosed, according to the Lewy Body Dementia Association.
The disease, which may include hallucinations, is caused when protein deposits, called Lewy bodies, develop in nerve cells the brain.
Lewy body dementia is associated with Parkinson’s, and medication for Parkinson’s can cause severe side effects in those affected with LBD.
Family members believe LBD was the “key factor” driving Williams to suicide, and doctors agree that it was a critical factor, TMZ said.
Williams’ wife, Susan Schneider, said in August that the actor had been struggling with depression and anxiety associated with the early stages of Parkinson’s disease along with "a recent increase in paranoia."
Williams battled depression, drug abuse, and alcoholism and had checked into the Hazelden rehabilitation facility just weeks before his death.
Williams was found dead in his northern California home on Aug. 11. He was 63. An autopsy report released by the Marin County sheriff's office found
no alcohol or illegal drugs in Williams’ body at the time of his death. The actor had taken prescription medications in therapeutic concentrations.
Williams isn’t the only famous person to have the disease. In May, Casey Kasem’s daughter revealed that Kasem had Lewy body dementia. The DJ died in June at age 82.
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