The death of Robin Williams at age 63 was a sudden shock Monday, made even more jarring by the news that his death was caused by an apparent suicide. Williams, who had been battling depression, died from hanging himself in his California home, officials said Tuesday.

"This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings,” Williams’ wife, Susan Schneider, said in a statement. “I am utterly heartbroken. On behalf of Robin's family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief. As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin's death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions.”

In the wake of Williams’ death, mental health experts and those who have battled depression say it’s a prime opportunity to shine a light on this misunderstood and stigmatized disease. “Robin Williams is someone who was very appealing,” says John Campo, chair of the department of psychiatry at The Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center. “He was a person who could not only be incredibly funny, but was also capable of reaching considerable depths. His death puts some cracks in the notion that people who have mental illness are different than you and me, and opens up the opportunity for dialogue about mental illness.”

Not only should people be educated about the signs and symptoms of depression, which include sadness, loss of pleasure, loss of energy, social withdrawal, and in some cases, suicidal ​​thoughts, but Campo says more research needs to be done to look into the cause and develop new treatments. “If you look at societal investment and research on diabetes, cancer or any other major disease, there’s much more money and effort invested in that ahead of suicide or depression,” he says. “Most of us don’t think of suicide primarily as a public health problem. We think of it as having more to do with sin than we do with an illness.”

About 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression, according to the World Health Organization. Part of the dialogue around depression has to involve people speaking out about their experiences, so others know they’re not alone, says Brian Cuban​, author of "Shattered Image: My Triumph Over Body Dysmorphic Disorder," who overcame his own depression. “For me, it began in my teens,” he says. “I was constantly bullied about my weight. I eventually internalized that bullying, and I spiraled into depression. This was in the 70s, so there was no awareness for depression. It was as stigmatized as you can imagine.”

Cuban dealt with his depression by overeating, which eventually led to an eating disorder that left him suicidal. “I was lucky, because I had friends and family who were involved in my life," he says. “They came into my house, and I had a .45 [caliber gun]​ on my nightstand. A few moments difference could have resulted in me not being here.”

For him, there was no point in continuing life. “I had the overwhelming thought that there was only a black hole ahead of me, and that I was doing my family a service ​by ending my life,” he says. “To me, it was a perfectly logical thought process.”

This feeling is common among people who are severely depressed, says Dan Iosifescu​, director of the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital. “In the midst of profound depression, many patients start feeling that not only is their current situation unbearable, but that it will continue forever,” he says. “This seems to be the difference in why some people with depression decide to kill themselves.”

Unfortunately, Iosifescu says, many people don’t reach out for help until they are at this stage in their depression, which for some, can be too late. “The majority of patients treated for depression see improvement with their first or second mixture of medicine and therapy,” he says. “But that’s not always good enough, as improvement can take weeks or even months to show.”

Even worse, for some people, like Cuban, it’s not easy to find the right medicine. “It took me five therapists and countless medication mixtures until I found the one that made me feel normal,” he says. “You have to push through it and not get discouraged.”

When Cuban did get discouraged, he says his suicidal thoughts kicked in. “I would go on and off because it was so difficult to find the right mixture of treatment, which is when my recovery stopped,” he says.

Encouraging people to speak out about depression will help others understand what they’re going through is normal and will give people the push they need to continue treatment, Cuban says. However, when people continue to stigmatize the disease, like he says Fox News anchor Shepard Smith did when he called Williams a “coward” for committing suicide, it has the opposite effect. Smith has since apologized for his remarks. “It stops people from reaching out,” Cuban says. “He may have viewers who are severely depressed, but won’t reach out for help because they don’t want to be labeled a coward.”