Dr. Nolan Ryan Williams, neuroscientist/psychiatrist, pioneer of Stanford SAINT protocol for depression, dies by suicide [View all]
I was devastated to learn that Dr. Nolan Ryan Williams passed away on 10/8/2025 by suicide. Dr. Williams was a brilliant neuroscientist with a large resume, including Director of the Stanford Brain Stimulation lab. He was dedicated to finding better treatments for brain diseases such as depression, and he pioneered the groundbreaking Stanford SAINT treatment, which the FDA gave special "breakthrough" status due to its efficacy for depression.
It was actually on DU that I first heard about SAINT and Dr. Nolan Williams, and after reading the article posted on DU about SAINT, I emailed Dr. Williams, who took the time to reply. Looking back, I'm amazed that such a busy and brilliant man would have taken the time to read and answer an email from a random mom, but he did.
The death by suicide of a man dedicated to finding treatments for depression highlights the baffling complexity of this disease. It should also wipe away the myth that those who end their life by suicide did so due to simplistic answers such as not having access to help, or not having someone to talk to, or others not seeing signs. If anyone would know the signs, it would have been Dr. Williams. If anyone had access to the best treatment possible, it would be Dr. Williams. It's not that simple. Dr. Williams understood that, which is why he relentlessly pursued not only better treatments but also making those treatments available to everyone.
I'm just devastated. What an amazing man. A Eulogy for Nolan Ryan Williams from a colleague: https://thefrontierpsychiatrists.substack.com/p/a-eulogy-for-nolan-ryan-williams
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