Robin Williams' son opens up about depression following his dad’s death

Zak Williams, the 37-year-old son of Robin Williams, is opening up about the depression and anxiety he faced following his father’s tragic 2014 death by suicide. Like his father, Zak had a tough time with his mental health, and it took a lot of work to get through that dark period in his life.“I was deeply unhappy and feeling extremely isolated and broken. I was traumatized,” he reveals to People in a new interview. He adds that at first he fell into a deep depression and turned to the bottle to self-medicate with booze. But when that got out of hand he realized he needed help. “Ultimately, I found that if I continued living that way, it wasn't a life that was worth living. Something had to give,” he said.[video_embed id='2031993']RELATED: New CAMH campaign addresses mental health and suicide prevention[/video_embed]Williams reveals that in order to get the help he needed he started attending recovery group meetings, he went to therapy, and he turned to a healthy diet with exercise and meditation. Soon he found that he wanted to speak out about his experiences in order to help others. In that vein he started working with several organizations (including Glenn Close’s nonprofit Bring Change to Mind) and earlier this year he launched PYM (Prepare Your Mind), a company that promotes mental health. It recently launched all natural, mood-enhancing gummies.It definitely sounds like Zak is thriving now. Earlier this month he married his wife, Olivia, in a private L.A. ceremony. He also has a 17-month-old named Mickey. “I'm thrilled to have a family and live the life that I always wanted to live," he tells People. "I've learned I'm not broken. Despite experiencing traumatic events, I can recover. And I am now on a path of healing and being the person I always wanted to be.”Zak isn’t the only one of Williams’ children who has gone on to become a mental health advocate. In 2017 his daughter Zelda Williams—who has also struggled with addiction, depression, and anxiety in the past—opened up about the subject in an interview with Women’s Health."Just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not ruining someone’s life," she said at the time. “There’s a realization that everyone is fighting a different battle and you can’t fight it for someone else but you can try to understand. Part of the first step toward, even before acceptance, but just toward understanding is actually listening and learning.”[video_embed id='2055620']Before you go: New book uses monk wisdom to help you lead a less anxious, more meaningful life[/video_embed]