Robin Williams' son Zak says his late father went to "great lengths" to look after his mental health whenever he was "challenged".
Zak and Robin Williams
The Hollywood icon tragically took his own life after being diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia in 2014, aged 63 and though his family were always "acutely aware" of the 'Mrs Doubtfire' star's struggles with depression, they knew he always "prioritised" overcoming his difficulties.
Speaking on Tuesday's (24.11.20) episode of 'The Dr. Oz Show', Zak, 37, shared: "I was acutely aware of my dad's struggles with depression, it manifested in addiction at times, and he took great lengths to support his well-being and mental health, especially when he was challenged. It was something that was a daily consideration for him.
"The main thing for me was noticing how he went through great lengths to support himself while he could show up for others. It was clear that he prioritised his mental health throughout most of his life, at least that I experienced with him.”
The ‘Graduates’ star went through an extremely dark period after his dad’s suicide and wanted to “numb” the pain with alcohol, whilst he also suffered from disassociation, which includes symptoms such as not feeling connected to your own body.
Zak - who launched the mental health support organisation Prepare Your Mind (PYM) last month - sought help immediately and continues to benefit from mental health services and therapies.
He said: "I found myself hitting rock bottom when I wanted to just be numb. I found myself wanting to drink alcohol and just not think. That was something that was really dysregulating for me.
"I found myself waking up in the morning and feeling like I was having a dissociative experience, but I just didn't want to be living the life I was living. I realised something had to give."
He added: "I can't stress how important service is to my life.
"The other thing is I found community support groups to be really helpful. I'm in a 12-Step program, that's very helpful for me personally. For others, it might be connecting through community organisation or through sports, there's any number of things."
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