--- description: Williams' widow reveals actor was battling early Parkinson's title: Robin Williams: The Link Between Parkinson's Disease and Depression image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltee340f0103da41b9/69869f1e3bc99920451a4de5/h_51516571.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Mental Health/Psychology](/tag/mental-healthpsychology/) ## Mental Health/Psychology Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Robin Williams' Parkinson's: The Link Between the Chronic Disease and Depression ## Video: The Many Faces of Robin Williams: A Career in Photos [Watch (HLS stream): The Many Faces of Robin Williams: A Career in Photos](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/KV0zG3Zo.m3u8) (1:40)  _Published 2014-08-13. The Faces of Robin Williams_ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 14, 2014 9:00 PM CUT  epa04349886 (FILE) A file photo dated 05 December 2011 shows US actor and comedian Robin Williams posing for photographs in Sydney, Australia. Reports on 11 August 2014 state that Oscar-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams has been found dead in his home, say authorities in Marin County, California. EPA/TRACEY NEARMY AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT epa04349886 (FILE) A file photo dated 05 December 2011 shows US actor and comedian Robin Williams posing for photographs in Sydney, Australia. Reports on 11 August 2014 state that Oscar-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams has been found dead in his home, say authorities in Marin County, California. EPA/TRACEY NEARMY AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUTTracey Nearmy—EPA by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 14, 2014 9:00 PM CUT Receiving a positive diagnosis for Parkinson’s can be devastating. It’s a chronic disease that progressively worsens, causing formerly competent men and women to gradually lose control of their own bodies, and it’s the [second most common](http://www.cdc.gov/genomics/hugenet/casestudy/parkinson/parkview.htm "undefined") neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s. As [revealed](http://time.com/3111911/robin-williams-dead-parkinsons/ "undefined") on Thursday by his wife, the late actor and comedian Robin Williams was privately battling the early stages of Parkinson’s on top of his more public struggles with anxiety and depression. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) acknowledges there is a link between Parkinson’s and depression, though the association is not always biological. It’s [estimated](http://www.ninds.nih.gov/news%5Fand%5Fevents/proceedings/depression%5Fsummary.htm "undefined") that about half of all people with Parkinson’s will experience depression at some point during the disease. For some, depression can be spurred as a result of receiving the diagnosis, learning that the new ailment may turn their mind against their body. Other [research](http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression-and-parkinsons-disease/index.shtml "undefined") has shown that depression may be the result of biological factors that the two diseases share and that a chemical imbalance in the brain could contribute to both. For instance, changes in levels of hormones and neurotransmitters in the brain, like dopamine and serotonin, [caused by Parkinson’s](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22198405 "undefined") may increase the likelihood that a person will also develop depression, since both are involved in mood regulation. But it should be noted that Williams’ depression and anxiety were likely established separately from his Parkinson’s. What’s known about the connection is that having depression on top of Parkinson’s can negatively influence the outlook for the disease. People who have both depression and Parkinson’s have higher levels of anxiety and trouble moving, according to the NIH, compared to people who have just one or the other. Similarly, individuals with both diseases may have greater difficulty concentrating than people who suffer from depression alone. Williams’ death, by an apparent suicide earlier this week, is a reminder of the weight that people with both diseases carry. As Williams’ wife said, “It is our hope in the wake of Robin’s tragic passing, that others will find the strength to seek the care and support they need to treat whatever battles they are facing so they may feel less afraid.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3112018/robin-williams-parkinsons-disease-depression/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3112018/robin-williams-parkinsons-disease-depression/"},"headline":"Robin Williams' Parkinson's: The Link Between the Chronic Disease and Depression","datePublished":"2014-08-14T21:00:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T09:40:48.153Z","description":"Williams' widow reveals actor was battling early Parkinson's","url":"https://time.com/3112018/robin-williams-parkinsons-disease-depression/","keywords":["Mental Health/Psychology","Mental Health"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltee340f0103da41b9/69869f1e3bc99920451a4de5/h_51516571.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltee340f0103da41b9/69869f1e3bc99920451a4de5/h_51516571.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Robin Williams","caption":"Robin Williams","creditText":"Tracey Nearmy—EPA","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/mental-healthpsychology/","name":"Mental Health/Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3112018/robin-williams-parkinsons-disease-depression/","name":"Robin Williams' Parkinson's: The Link Between the Chronic Disease and Depression"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Many Faces of Robin Williams: A Career in Photos","description":"The Faces of Robin Williams","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/KV0zG3Zo/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-08-13T21:09:16.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/KV0zG3Zo.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3112018/robin-williams-parkinsons-disease-depression/","duration":"PT1M40S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3112018/robin-williams-parkinsons-disease-depression/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```