Nolan Williams, 43: a life cut short by the illness he helped others confront

Resources are available for anyone in crisis or concerned about someone else: Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Few South Carolinians may know the name of Dr. Nolan Williams, who died last month, but to many people suffering with depression, Williams was something of a miracle worker.

Williams, born and educated in South Carolina, died from the devastating illness he had helped alleviate in perhaps hundreds of others.

Only 43 years old, Williams took his own life at his northern California home Oct. 8.

Those close to him said he had long struggled with depression.

Two of his former professors and colleagues at the Medical University of South Carolina called Williams “bold and visionary,” a “brilliant neuropsychiatrist” whose groundbreaking experiments “impacted multiple fields.”

The neuropsychiatrist “changed the landscape of mental health treatment” by developing a noninvasive brain-stimulation technique for people with treatment-resistant depression, friend Thomas Reiner wrote in a fundraising page he created for the family.

Williams’ story began modestly in the small town of Bamberg (population about 2,900 today) on June 25, 1982.

His father, a baseball fan, named him Nolan Ryan Williams after Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan.

Williams’ father was a fisherman and carpenter; his mother ran a day care and later worked as a caterer.

His family later moved to Charleston, where Williams grew up.

His passion for excellence emerged early: Williams attained a black belt in Taekwondo at 18, becoming a world-class champion in high school. He also developed a lifelong love of kitesurfing.

“He kitesurfed all over the globe and never missed a chance to spend a day kiting before or after scientific meetings,” said Dr. Mark S. George and Dr. Harold A. Sackeim in a recent tribute to Williams, detailing his important research accomplishments.

Williams earned his bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from the College of Charleston in 2003. It was later while earning his medical degree at the Medical University of South Carolina that Williams became fascinated with the practice of stimulating the brain to relieve severe depression that is resistant to therapy and drugs.

Hired in 2014 by the Stanford University School of Medicine, Williams founded the school’s Brain Stimulation Lab, focusing on treating psychiatric illnesses such as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

It was there that Williams developed a fast-acting high-tech therapy called SAINT (Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy) that targets the area of the brain where depression originates.

In a clinical study of SAINT, 80% of patients suffering from depression experienced remission. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2022, SAINT is now being used in several clinics across the country.

Kyle Williams wrote that his brother “Nolan was far more than a brilliant doctor — he was a loving husband, devoted father, cherished son, and the pillar of our family. His bond with his mother, Ann, was unbreakable, and his kindness, laughter, and heart touched everyone he met.”

A light in darkness

Williams also led studies of veterans in special operations forces struggling with PTSD and traumatic brain injury, with symptoms including anger, depression, anxiety and insomnia. He collaborated with a nonprofit organization, Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS), to investigate the effectiveness of the drug ibogaine, which some veterans had used in Mexico because it’s not legal in the U.S.

VETS honored Williams in a statement: “His research demonstrated what these veterans courageously believed: That healing was possible, that their suffering mattered, and that science could meet them in their darkest hour.”

In addition to his brother and mother, Williams is survived by his wife, Dr. Kristin Raj, and their two children, Autumn and Hendrix.

He leaves behind a legacy of caring for some of society’s most vulnerable citizens.

Reiner, the family friend, said Williams “had a deep compassion for patients” and “gave everything he had to help others heal.”

The loss of a brilliant native son of South Carolina is especially poignant at a time when suicide is on the rise in our state. The suicide rate in South Carolina, higher than the national average, increased by 44% over the past 20 years.

That hits close to home.

My own community of Anderson County in 2025 is experiencing the highest number of suicide deaths in its recorded history.

Suicide prevention and other mental health concerns should be top state priorities.

South Carolina’s gubernatorial candidates, already fiercely campaigning for next year’s election, have had little or nothing to say about suicide prevention and mental health as they clamor for slashing taxes while ignoring vulnerable South Carolinians who’ll be impacted by federal cuts to Medicaid, mental health and addiction treatment.

And yet there’s always hope.

Here in Anderson County, for instance, some public-spirited residents recently announced a campaign to establish the AOP (Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens) Clubhouse, offering comprehensive help for people living with mental illness.

There’s always a light shining in darkness, thanks to supportive communities and the legacy of brilliant doctors like Nolan Williams.