The 38-year-old added that his father struggled with focusing and was “very uncomfortable.” He continued, “There were issues associated with how he felt and also from a neurological perspective he didn’t feel great.”
The actor’s son also revealed that medications Robin took were “really hard on the mind and the body.” He said what he felt for his father was “beyond empathy” and the son was “frustrated.”
Zak stated, “It can be really isolating even when you’re with family and loved ones.” Only two years passed between Robin’s misdiagnosis and his death. Zak said about that time period, “It felt a lot longer than it actually was because it was a period for him of intense searching and frustration.”
After his father died, Zak said he was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and turned to alcohol to cope. But he later got help through a 12-step program for addiction recovery, as well as group therapy, he shared. Zak is now a CEO of Prepare Your Mind, a wellness and anxiety-alleviating product he worked on after his father’s death. He is also a mental health advocate.