I recently watched Robin’s Wish on Amazon Prime Video. It’s a touching documentary about his life, his loves and the run up to his suicide.
The documentary revealed that Robin Williams was suffering with undiagnosed Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) at the time he chose to take his own life. This form of dementia has no cure and causes massive symptoms including:
Insomnia & Exhaustion.
Anxiety & Depression.
Hallucinations.
Problems with control of movement.
Problems with thinking and memory.
Confusion.
Slowed thinking speed.
Falls and fainting.
If you are concerned that you or someone you love may have DLB, please see your GP.
In my 2014 blog post titled: Robin Williams Tribute Video & My Thoughts About Poor Mental Health, I wrongly listed his cause of death as being suicide due to severe depression. This was the best available information at the time, however this was wrong and I would like to correct it to: suicide caused by undiagnosed Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).
The revelation that Robin Williams was suffering with Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) only came months after his death, when his autopsy results became available.
However I would like to sincerely apologise to anyone who may have been affected by this incorrect information. I am pleased to be able to correct it here and link the original post to this one.
This is the third and final in a Autism & Asperger’s Syndrome Series of blog posts. The first covered what they are, signs/symptoms, diagnosis and treatment approaches and can be read here. The second covered Wonderful Websites and can be read here.
Below is a list of famous people (in alphabetical order) with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome:
It was difficult to find many famous people who report that they are on the autistic spectrum. This might be because it is only relatively recently that we have begun diagnosing people with autism.
Below are a list of famous people who have experienced mental health illness (in alphabetical order and by condition):
Anxiety and depression often coexist. Bipolar is characterised by episodes of mania which can include anxiety and episodes of depression. So although many of these people could fit under more than one mental illness, I have placed them in the condition that I feel bet fits.
I know there’s loads of famous people who have experience of mental illness who are not on these lists. If you feel compelled to tell me whom I’ve missed off, please leave a comment below.
The point of this blog post is to show someone experiencing mental illness that they are not alone. That they are among the great and the good.
Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and Dyscalculia all affect the way people learn. Some people may have one of these conditions diagnosed, whereas others may have two or even all three of these conditions diagnosed.
I have been diagnosed primarily with Dyspraxia, with some Dyslexia and more than a touch of Dyscalculia. But with determination, support and self-belief I have overcome adversity to be relatively successful. I am not alone. Many famous people have Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and/or Dyscalculia and have managed to be successful at what they do.
Below is a definition of Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and Dyscalculia, along with a list of famous people (in alphabetical order) with each condition:
Dyspraxia is:
…a form of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a common disorder affecting fine and/or gross motor coordination in children and adults…DCD is a lifelong condition, formally recognised by international organisations including the World Health Organisation…[DCD] occurs across the range of intellectual abilities. Individuals may vary in how their difficulties present: these may change over time depending on environmental demands and life experiences.
* Apologies for the lack of females on this list. No famous females found to have Dyspraxia online. Know a famous female with Dyspraxia? Leave a comment below.
Dyslexia is:
…a common learning difficulty that can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling.
It’s a “specific learning difficulty”, which means it causes problems with certain abilities used for learning, such as reading and writing. Unlike a learning disability, intelligence isn’t affected.
…is usually perceived of as a specific learning difficulty for mathematics, or, more appropriately, arithmetic.
Developmental Dyscalculia (DD) is a specific learning disorder that is characterised by impairments in learning basic arithmetic facts, processing numerical magnitude and performing accurate and fluent calculations. These difficulties must be quantifiably below what is expected for an individual’s chronological age, and must not be caused by poor educational or daily activities or by intellectual impairments.
* According to Dyscalculia Blog, Dyscalculia is rarer than Dyslexia. Dyscalculia is not as well known as Dyspraxia or Dyslexia. This means that it’s likely that less people are assessed for Dyscalculia and therefore less people diagnosed with it. This would go someway to explaining the lack of famous people with Dyscalculia on the list above.
Write soon,
Antony
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Friday 5 August 2016
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Antony Simpson - Author, Blogger, Nurse & Witch.
Author of eight books.
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