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Post by Umair Majoka on Oct 9, 2016 0:07:46 GMT -4
Until reading this article, I had no idea that Robin Williams suffered from Lewy Body Dementia. When news of his death broke a few years ago and they said that it was due to depression I always wondered how someone as happy as him could be depressed to the point where they would take their own life. So many diseases overlap with their symptoms that it can become hard to always differentiate between them and this is one of the issues that this article discusses. This is an area that I believe needs to be addressed among physicians and hopefully improved so that the correct diagnosis can be figured out quickly so that the right treatment can be initiated. I believe that Robin Williams status as a celebrity along with this article will help raise awareness for Lewy Body Dementia among other neurological and psychological diseases.
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Rajidivya Viswanathan
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Post by Rajidivya Viswanathan on Oct 9, 2016 3:29:50 GMT -4
This was a heartbreaking story to read, as it truly delves into the heart and soul of a devastated wife that is left behind dealing with the aftermath of a disease that has ravaged and taken the man she loved. Lewy Body Dementia is a little known disease, and to read about the way it manifests in a human being, was albeit shocking. The way Mrs. Williams gave an account of the symptoms Robin Williams experienced during his struggle with LBD was agonizing to read, and I cannot imagine the pain and suffering this poor man must have gone through during his final days. The positive light to this entire story is that Robin Williams is a beacon of light and hope to all those other people out there in this world who are suffering from LBD. The way Mrs. Williams has actively taken a role in raising awareness of this disease for the American Brain Foundation is extremely admirable and I hope that she helps bring hope and a sense of renewed strength in all those suffering from this relatively known disease… and that they can take comfort knowing that there is a support system out there to ensure that they are not fighting this disease alone.
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Shirin Ganjali MS-3
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Post by Shirin Ganjali MS-3 on Oct 9, 2016 17:50:36 GMT -4
Like many of my fellow medical students, I have fostered a sense of empathy towards our patients. The countless hours of studying and work is directed towards service to others. This article addresses that. For those doctors and researchers who tirelessly work to try and create novel treatments and interventions for neurological disease, I am sure this article can inspire motivation and place a face on the disease processes that they are studying. Robin Williams was a dynamic character. Countless people have seen his face, laughed at his jokes, felt inspired by his more serious roles. When his wife detailed the suffering of Mr. Williams and his lack of understanding of the disease process, it reminded me of our need to humanize our patients; to treat our patients as being human and not to treat the patient as a disease.
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Post by Ahmad Jarrar on Oct 9, 2016 19:37:16 GMT -4
This article focuses on an important disease that is difficult to diagnose and treat called Lewy body dementia. The disease is very hard to diagnose due to the wide variety of symptoms and different presentations from one person to another. Lewy Body Dementia is an incredibly devastating disease because it affects who you are as a person. Very often people don’t have insight into what’s going on and it’s the caregiver job to bear that burden and suspect this disease in undiagnosed individuals. It is important to form online and community based groups to raise the awareness and educate people about this devastating disease. Susan Williams in this article also sent an advice to doctors and medical students to “understand your patients along with their spouses and caregivers a little more" and encourage new efforts in research.
AJ (MS4)
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Post by msingson on Oct 9, 2016 22:49:50 GMT -4
I grew up watching Robin Williams' films e.g. "Hook," Mrs. Doubtfire," "the Birdcage," etc. I don't consider myself a big fan, but I appreciated his work. Learning of his death in the news I figured he was just another celeb who fell victim to pressures of stardom and took to substance abuse, eventually leading to his demise. Susan WIlliams did her husband's passing justice by shedding light and further delving into the truth behind Robin's death; that he wasn’t just another Hollywood cliché. He endured months of mental and physical decline and that ultimately he became prey to the disease that took over his brain and body. This article mentions a problem in diagnosing that we as physicians in the future will eventually face. This was a complex case. The initial symptoms were ambiguous, but it does highlight the importance of medicine fundamentals of a thorough non-biased patient history. Another issue up for discussion is the similarities in clinical presentation of dementia and Parkinson's which was the presumed diagnoses vs. LBD- the actual disease that was the cause of RW's mental decline. It was bittersweet that although Susan was able to get her answer it was months after she had already lost her husband to the disease.
Madeleine Singson MS4
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Aminah Phelps (MS3)
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Post by Aminah Phelps (MS3) on Oct 10, 2016 20:59:25 GMT -4
I really appreciate this article because I thought it was really brave to talk about the challenges and obstacles Robin Williams faced battling a brain disease. This article showed how even celebrities have to battle suicidal ideations. This is why it is so important to treat the psyche, make sure the mind is healthy. Robin Williams would of been benefited from therapy sessions. He needed an outlet like group therapy with other members in the community who are also battling Lewy Body Disease to talk and share personal experiences. Psychiatry is so important because it is okay to ask for help. So many different disorders and diseases can lead to different effects on the brain causing depression, mania, and changes in one's mood. I really believe suicide is on the rise in today's time. We must help these people and let them feel like they are not alone and not suffering alone.
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Post by Farnaz Jafari on Oct 11, 2016 18:30:54 GMT -4
My heart is broken not only for Robert williams but for all those people who are going through the same thing and for those who died battling with neurological diseases. People are aware of heart conditions, cancers, stroke etc.. But there is not enough information about parkinson, Huntington, and other neurological deadly disease that targets our brains. We should have more support system not only for patients but for their families as well. It's sad to watch your loved ones suffer everyday and there is nothing you can do to help them.
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Rachel Austin (MS3)
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Post by Rachel Austin (MS3) on Oct 11, 2016 22:24:20 GMT -4
This article points out the struggle people have when it comes to neurological and psychological problems as well as what the family members, and in this case, his wife had to face. This article really highlights the challenges in the medical field where physicians are faced with a difficult task of making an accurate diagnosis solely based on the symptoms the patient reports. This is significant because there are many diseases out there that can be misdiagnosed due to the similarity in symptoms which can result in misdiagnosis. It also shows you that when patients keep certain symptoms to themselves it can be detrimental to their health, as in this case with Robin Williams, where he did not admit to having hallucinations which could have helped with an earlier diagnosis of LBD. It is sad to know that Robin Williams did not know what he was suffering from before he passed away as his wife said “How I wish he could have known why he was struggling, that it was not a weakness in his heart, spirit, or character.” It was a brain disease.
RA(MS3)
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Lawrence Takungo MS3
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Post by Lawrence Takungo MS3 on Oct 13, 2016 17:06:08 GMT -4
It is a sad story, because it appears Robin and Susan were really in love. All the varying symptoms of constipation, urinary difficulty, heartburn, sleeplessness and insomnia, poor sense of smell, lots of stress, slight tremor in his left hand that would come and go, gut problem, fear and anxiety, paranoia, delusions, looping, insomnia, memory loss, increased cortisol levels, shuffling gait, confusion, panic attack, depression all made Robin’s illness a difficult case. The 40 plus symptoms of Robin’s Lewy Body Disease (LBD) described by his wife Susan Schneider Williams must have really been dilapidating to her and Robin, but they were both really strong in the inside. I admire her fight for the course of finding treatment for LBD. I learned from the article that Antipsychotic medications make things worse for patients with Lewy Body Disease.
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Post by evangelinej on Oct 20, 2016 16:04:22 GMT -4
In Mrs. Williiam’s text, she states that Parkinson’s & LBD are on two ends of a spectrum only connected by the fact that they both have the Lewy bodies. However, it seems like the two diseases share many symptoms such as tremors, REM sleep disorders, and shuffling gait, and share the same treatments. Therefore rather than being on opposite ends of the spectrum, it could be possible that one is just the natural progression of the other. Is it possible that everyone with Parkinson’s will eventually succumb to Lewy Body Dementia? In which case, it would be important to treat all cases of Parkinson’s with antidepressants in advance.
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Post by Williams Azubike on Oct 24, 2016 15:09:24 GMT -4
I always wondered why a man that was so vibrant would be suffering from depression and kill himself. Now, I know why. What is worse is that there is no way of stopping the disease and it is evident that in his case, treating his symptoms was not effective. I understand Robin Williams’ wife’s call to arms for the medical professionals. I feel like we are already on it and someday, in the not too distant future, we would develop ways to slow down the progression of the disease and possibly a cure for the disease.
WA (MS3)
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