Jordan Peterson, in a new interview, described his spiral in the addition of drugs and suicidal thoughts before being diagnosed with schizophrenia – and then undergoing a controversial Russian treatment that he put in an induced coma for eight days.
The controversial Canadian psychology professor, who has spent much of his career guarding against political correctness, spoke with the Sunday Times, along with his podcast host daughter, Mikhaila Peterson, about his downward spiral.
“I do not remember anything. From December 16, 2019 to February 5, 2020, “the self-help author told about the period when Russia was sent for treatment.” I don’t remember anything at all, “Peterson told the British newspaper.
Peterson has gained international fame for the explosion of academic “safe spaces” and feminism, as well as her refusal to use the favorite pronouns of transgender people.
He wrote the international bestseller, “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos,” in 2018, but was battling a benzodiazepine addiction that was prescribed to him after a violent reaction to a strict meat and green diet.
Mikhaila, 28, her Russian husband and Peterson began dieting in 2016, but all three had a violent “sodium metabisulfite response,” she said. “It was very terrible – but it hit him hardest,” Mikhaila told the Times. “She could not stand without getting dark. He had this imminent sense of destiny. He wasn’t sleeping. ”
Peterson previously claimed that he did not sleep for 25 days during this time, but the longest period of human sleep deprivation ever recorded is only 11 days, the newspaper notes.
He was prescribed a small dose of antidepressants, which helped him recover, but the dose was increased after Peterson sank into depression following his wife Tammy’s cancer diagnosis.
“And things just went crazy with Tammy. Every day has been life, death and crisis for five months, “Peterson told the newspaper. “Doctors said, ‘Well, she’s contracted this cancer so rarely, there’s virtually no literature on it, and the one-year death rate is 100 percent.’ So endless nights sleeping on the floor in case of emergency and continuous surgical complications … So I took benzodiazepines. ”
Tammy Roberts has recovered from complications with kidney surgery, but Peterson’s drug addiction has worsened.
“My father started to get super weird. It manifested itself as extreme anxiety and suicide, “said Mikhaila, whom the Times says” has taken full responsibility for his business, “he said.
The anti-political crusade for fairness went to a clinic in Toronto, where he was reportedly taken out of benzodiazepine and prescribed ketamine, before registering for a detox in New York in 2019.
During this period he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
“Well, I went to the best treatment clinic in North America. And all they did was make it worse. So I ran out of options, “Peterson told the Times about his decision to undergo controversial treatment in Moscow.
“I put myself in the hands of the medical profession. And the consequence was that I was going to die. So that wasn’t it [the evidence from Moscow] it was convincing. It was that I got rid of other options. ”
In Russia, Peterson was intubated for undiagnosed pneumonia and given propofol so that he could be induced into a coma for more than a week, while doctors removed his drug system.
When he left treatment, Peterson had lost the ability to walk, along with large parts of his memory, according to the report.
“She was catatonic. Really, really bad. And then it was delusional, “his daughter told the newspaper.
After making some progress, Peterson was transported to Florida in February, where he regained his pain and suicidal thoughts.
Mihaila then took her father to a private hospital in Belgrade, Serbia, where he was diagnosed with akathisia – an anxiety disorder related to the withdrawal of the bandages.
Peterson, who also contracted the coronavirus during his time abroad, returned home to Canada to recover from akathisia. He told the Sunday Times that being labeled “an icon of white supremacy and hate speech” by the employees of his book publisher affects his mental health.
“I was at the epicenter of this incredible controversy and there were journalists all around me and students were demonstrating. It’s very difficult emotionally to be publicly attacked like that. And that’s been happening to me continuously for, say, three years, “Peterson told the newspaper.
“I was worried about my family. I was worried about my reputation. I was worried about my occupation. Other things were happening. The Canadian equivalent of the Inland Revenue service was after me, making my life miserable, because something they admitted was a mistake three months later, but they were just torturing me to death. “
When asked about the apparent irony of using drugs after telling his followers that life is about fighting through pain and suffering, the author deviated.
“No, I never said that. Look, if you’re a viable clinician, you encourage people to take psychiatric medication when it’s needed. What I really encourage in people is to understand that it is not helpful to allow your suffering to make you resentful. And, believe me, I was very tempted to resent what had happened to me in the last two years, “Peterson told the newspaper.
During the ordeal, Peterson wrote a sequel to his best-selling book, Beyond Order: 12 Additional Rules for Life. It is expected to be published in the spring.