Robin Williams: psychiatric disorders - Research Paper Example

Robin Williams Robin Williams is an actor who is known for his high energy. His comic routines are fast paced, and he is known for his ability to speak rapidly and for his talents in improvisation and comedy. He also had issues over his life with substance abuse – he was hooked on alcohol and cocaine for a time, early in his career. There were some problems that he had that would suggest that he might have been suffering from bipolar disorder, which would include such symptoms as the fact that he had problems with having affairs and extreme flirting while he was married. Also, in his early days, he didnt fit in with his school mates because of the fact that he would make many odd noises, which was a sign that he had a difficult time fitting in because of hyperactivity. He ended up in comedy clubs late at night, which would imply that he had a difficult time sleeping. All of these signs would suggest that he was suffering from bipolar disorder. However, it is difficult to state definitely that Williams was suffering from bipolar disorder. There were signs that he had low self-esteem, and he was in the Hollywood scene, which caused pressures on him that led him into drugs and the demise of his marriage. The first disorder that will be examined will bi-polar disorder. There are two basic “types” of bipolar disorder – bi-polar I disorder and bi-polar II disorder (Comer, 85). The criteria for bipolar disorder is that there has been one or more manic episodes or mixed episodes. The manic episodes may not be better accounted for by schizoaffective disorder, and there generally may not be a superimposition of schizophrenia disorders or psychotic disorders. The bipolar disorder II is characterized by the occurrence of one or more major depressive episodes accompanied by at least one hypomanic episode (American Psychiatric Association, 112). As with the bipolar disorder I, the episodes may not be better accounted for by schizoaffective disorders, and there may not be a superimposition of schizophrenia disorders or psychotic disorders. The criteria for a manic episode is that the mood is elevated, expansive or irritable for at least one week, and during the period when this mood is elevated, expansive or irritable, there needs to be at least three or more symptoms have persisted. These other symptoms are grandiosity; decreased sleep; talkativity; flighty ideas or racing thoughts; distractability; increase in goal-directed activity or agitation; excessive involvement in pleasurable activities, such as sex, drugs, gambling, spending, etc. Moreover, the mood disturbance must be sufficiently severe that there is some kind of impairment of functioning, such as work, social activities or relationships with others, and they cannot be due to substance abuse (American Psychiatric Association, 112). Hypomania, which is a feature of bipolar II disorder, is the elevated, expansive or irritable mood which lasts at least four days, and there are three or more of the symptoms above (grandiosity, decreased need for sleep, etc.). The episodes, however, are less severe than the bipolar I, as the episodes are NOT severe enough to impair social or occupational functioning, but the changes are profound enough for others to notice (American Psychiatric Association, 112). The substance abuse disorder in the DSM-5 collapses the DSM-IV categories of substance abuse and substance dependence into a single disorder, which is measured on a continuum from mild to severe (American Psychiatric Association, 112). Substance abuse and dependence disorder is marked by recurrent substance use that leads to a failure to fulfill major role obligations in work, school or home; or recurrent substance use in situations in which it is physically hazardous, such as driving an car or a machine; substance-related legal problems; or continued use, despite persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems. Moreover, there is a tolerance to the substance, and a withdrawal from the substance (American Psychiatric Association, 112). Robin Williams has always shown tendencies towards mania, at least with regards to having an expansive or elevated mood. This was shown in his early classes at Gorton Elementary School in Chicago, where he could not keep still or quiet, and he would emit strange sounds while sitting in class (Dougan, 13). In his early years, first at Julliard, then on his early shows, such as Mork and Mindy, Williams battled depression (Dougan, 25). He started to take drugs in the early 1980s, which included marijuana and cocaine, but insisted to the interviewers who interviewed him about this that it wasnt a problem, and that he could stop anytime that he wanted to (Dougan, 69). Soon, by 1982, which was when his show Mork and Mindy was cancelled and his marriage to Valerie was falling apart, Williams became hooked on cocaine and alcohol (Dougan, 83). It wasnt long before that, in addition to his substance abuse, resulted in his marriage to Valerie crumbling (Dougan, 86). Williams drug abuse was getting to the point where there were recurrent problems with his interpersonal relationships - his friends were worried that Robin Williams was following in the footsteps of John Belushi, who was found dead, the result of an overdose of heroin and cocaine. Meanwhile, he was showing other signs that were consistent with bipolar disorder. For instance, Williams pursued pleasurable activities excessively, even though pursuing these activities would result in problems in his interpersonal relationships. It started with excessive flirting while he was married to Valerie – he “continually grabs asses and squeezes tits and generally hugs and cuddles the best-looking women within range” (Dougan, 83). Then, Williams began an affair with a woman he met while she was working as a waitress in a strip club (Dougan, 112). While there was not anything in his biography that openly addressed the issue of Robin Williams suffering from bipolar disorder, and briefly touched upon this drug addiction – there were passages here and there that talked about his drug abuse, but the biography really didnt delve into it, there are other passages on the Internet about the actor that do allude to Williams having the disorder. For instance, an article in an article on the online psychology journal, Psychology in Everyday Life, states that Robin Williams is a diagnosed bipolar, whose symptoms tended towards prodigious amounts of creativity. This article further states that there is a link between creative genius and bipolar disorder (Psychology in Everyday Life). In fact, the fact that Williams was such a brilliant improviser is another sign of his bipolar disorder, according to this article (Psychology in Everyday Life). It is also entirely possible that, while Robin Williams has some of the classic signs of having bipolar disorder – his creativity and improvisation, his hyperactivity, his sexual conquests, coupled with periods of depression, he might never have been diagnosed with the disorder. This is often a problem with individuals who have the disorder (Griffiths, 1). For instance, the author of the online article “Celebs Coming Out With Bipolar? Bring It On!” states that getting a diagnosis can be difficult, as it took him 13 years to get a diagnosis, and his case is considered to be fairly typical according to this article (Griffiths, 1). In the end, Griffiths touches on another issue that becomes a problem with people getting a proper diagnosis – as he states, bipolar disorder can be made worse in times of stress. Robin Williams, according to his biography, has had many years of having situational stress that could have caused his depression, and the manic symptoms that he showed, which includes his improvisation, and his energy that was displayed when he went to clubs at night to entertain, were ways to cover up some of the loneliness that he felt growing up. He had problems fitting in while in school, and he was bullied when he was younger. In addition, there was constant stress in his life – his show, Mork and Mindy, which started out an enormous hit, soon was falling in the ratings, and was cancelled. Williams found out about the cancellation on the news, same as everybody else (Dougan, 72). Moreover, he had problems that were common to people in Hollywood – there was always pressure on him, many of his movies did not do well at the box office, and drugs were too available, plus there was an issue with the fact that his good friend, John Belushi, had died (Dougan, 83). Robin Williams seemed to have issues that were mental, according to the biography of his life, but it was difficult to tell if these issues were the result of bipolar disorder or were more the result of living a life in Hollywood, where it is difficult for the most mentally healthy person to navigate (Dougan, 83). If he did have bipolar disorder, it is unclear whether or not the issues that manifested caused problems in his interpersonal or occupational life. In fact, it most likely enhanced his occupational life, if nothing else. Therefore, it is most likely that, if Williams does suffer from bipolar disorder, it would be bipolar II, not I. Moreover, although Williams seemed to have problems with substances, which includes alcohol and cocaine, Williams was able to give up the drugs fairly early in his life, and there was no indication that he had issues with them again (Dougan, 115). It seemed that it was more an issue of the fact that he was depressed, because his marriage was failing, he always had insecurities about himself, and he felt, overall, lost (Dougan). These are all problems that could have many different causes, and the way that he tackled these problems when he first got to Hollywood was that he did drugs, to the point where people were worried about him (Dougan, 69). His drug use caused interpersonal problems, as it, in part, led to the demise of his first marriage, and it made other people worried about him, but it didnt seem to cause problems in any other area of his life. Therefore, it is doubtful that he suffered from substance abuse disorder. Conclusion Robin Williams had problem in his life. He was bullied when he was younger, he had numerous pressures on him and he was in the Hollywood scene. It was no doubt difficult for him to adjust. Part of his way of adjusting to the Hollywood scene was that he did some drugs early on his career. He got hooked on them for a time, but gave them up early and apparently didnt go back to them. He made some mistakes with some women while he was married. He was no doubt hyperactive, as this was shown in his comedy routines. However, it is unclear whether or not he actually was suffering from bipolar disorder. It would be especially difficult to ascertain this, as his substance abuse could have been used to mask the symptoms that he would have been feeling about his disorder, if, in fact, he actually was suffering from it. For these reasons, although it is likely that he might have been suffering from bipolar disorder, this is not clear. References Comer, R. Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology. Boston: Worth Publishers, 2013. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. New York: American Psychiatric Association, 2013. Dougan, Andy. Robin Williams. Berkeley: Orion Media, 1998. Griffiths, Nigel. “Celebs Coming Out With Bipolar? Bring It On!” The Independent. 26 Nov. 2013. Psychology in Everyday Life. “Bipolar I and II Disorder: A Diagnosis.” 15 April 2013. Read More