Zak Williams is a mental health advocate on the boards of Yerba Buena Center For The Arts and Bring Change to Mind, and co-founder and CEO of Prepare Your Mind, a company that creates all-natural amino acid mood chews. Zak shares how the death by suicide of his late father, Robin Williams, galvanized his campaign for mental health advocacy and helped him heal in the service of others.
What you'll learn from this episode:
The frustrations faced by Zak's father, Robin Williams, as he struggled to cope with the symptoms of Lewy body dementia after being misdiagnosed with Parkinson's disease—and a completely different set of expectations and treatments.
Why mental health advocates like Zak use the term "died by suicide" and how it makes a difference in the way we perceive those who have succumbed to this tragedy.
Zak describes his own battles with PTSD after losing his father and how committing to mental health advocacy served to help him heal from this loss.
How the stigma surrounding mental health conditions has hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children across 60 countries literally chained and confined in shame.
Why breaking the stigma around mental health conditions and making it socially acceptable to seek help is crucial for the millions who are vulnerable to dying by suicide, and what the barriers are that stand in the way of this goal.
And so much more!
Resources from this episode:
Prepare Your Mind with Mood Chews | PYM
Yerba Buena Center For The Arts
How Lewy Body Dementia Gripped Robin Williams | Scientific American
What Is Lewy Body Dementia? | Max Lugavere
What Are the Differences between Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinson's? | ParkinsonsDisease.net
Sinemet (Carbidopa-Levodopa) | RxList
Why Mental Health Advocates Use the Words 'Died by Suicide' | NBC News
People with Mental Health Conditions Living in Chains | Human Rights Watch
The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous | AA
Strategies to Afford Mental Health Treatment | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness
Therapy Without Insurance: How to Access Affordable Mental Health Services | GoodRx
Personalized Online Recovery and Support to Quit Drinking | Tempest
Organize a Group with Meetup | Meetup
Gamma Aminobutyric Acid: Uses and Side Effects of GABA Supplement | Healthline
Essential Amino Acids | Healthline
The Power of the Placebo Effect | Harvard Health
Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind over Body by Jo Marchant | Amazon
How Nature Can Make You Fit and Healthy | Abel James | The Genius Life 34
The 3 Best Types of Exercise for Boosting Brain Function | Ryan Glatt, MS | The Genius Life 166
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