Jordan Peterson, in a new interview, described his spiral to add drugs and suicidal thoughts, before being diagnosed with schizophrenia, and after undergoing a controversial Russian treatment that put him in an induced coma for eight days.
The controversial Canadian psychology professor, who has spent much of his career 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 16 December 2019 to 5 February 2020, “the author of the self-help said about the period Russia was sent to him for treatment.” I don’t remember anything, “Peterson told the British newspaper.
Peterson gained international fame for destroying academic “safe spaces” and feminism, as well as for her refusal to use the preferred pronouns of transgender people.
He wrote the international bestseller, “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos,” in 2018, but struggled with the benzodiazepine addiction he was prescribed after a violent reaction to a strict meat-and-vegetable diet.
Mikhaila, 28, her Russian husband and Peterson began the diet in 2016, but all three had a violent “response to sodium metabisulfite,” she said. “It was really terrible, but it touched him more,” Mikhaila told the Times. “You couldn’t get up without turning off. He had this impending sense of doom. I didn’t sleep. “
Peterson has previously stated 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 document notes.
He was prescribed a low dose of antidepressants, which helped him recover, but the dose was increased after Peterson collapsed after his wife Tammy was diagnosed with cancer.
“And things went crazy with Tammy. Every day was life, death and crisis for five months, ”Peterson told the newspaper. Doctors said, “Well, you’ve contracted this cancer which is so rare that there’s virtually no literature, and the one-year mortality rate is 100%.” So endless nights sleeping on the floor in case of emergency, and continuous surgical complications … So I took benzodiazepines. “
Tammy Roberts recovered from complications with kidney surgery, but Peterson’s drug addiction worsened.
“Dad started being super weird. It manifested itself as extreme anxiety and suicide, “said Mikhaila, who according to the Times” appears to have taken the top toll on his affairs, “he said.
The crusade against anti-political correctness went to a clinic in Toronto, where he withdrew benzodiazepine and was prescribed ketamine before moving on to rehabilitation in New York in 2019.
At this time 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 we are left out of the options, “Peterson told the Times about the decision to undergo controversial treatment in Moscow.
“I had put myself in the hands of the medical profession. And the consequence of that was that he was going to die. So that was not it [the evidence from Moscow] it was convincing. It was that we were out of other options. “
In Russia, Peterson was intubated for undiagnosed pneumonia and given propofol so he could be induced into a coma for more than a week while doctors cleaned his medication system.
By the time he left treatment, Peterson had lost the ability to walk, along with large parts of his memory, according to the report.
“It simply came to our notice then. Really, very bad. And then he went crazy, ”his daughter told the newspaper.
After making some progress, Peterson was taken to Florida in February, where he returned his pain and suicidal thoughts.
Mikhaila blew up her father at a private hospital in Belgrade, Serbia, where he was diagnosed with akathisia, a restlessness disorder related to benzo withdrawal.
Peterson, who also contracted the coronavirus during his time abroad, returned home to Canada to recover from akathisia. He told the Sunday Times that the fact that employees of his book publisher labeled him as “an icon of white supremacy and hate speech” affected his mental health.
“I was at the epicenter of this incredible controversy, and there were journalists around me constantly and students protesting. It’s really hard to be emotionally attacked publicly like that. And that happened to me continuously for, say, three years, ”Peterson told the newspaper.
“I was just worried about my family. I was worried about my reputation. I was worried about my occupation. And other things were happening. The Canadian equivalent of the Treasury was behind me, making my life miserable, because something they admitted was a mistake three months later, but they only tortured me to death. ”
When asked about the onset of the irony of resorting to drugs after telling his followers that life is about fighting for pain and suffering, the author deviated.
“No, I never said that. Look, if you’re a viable doctor, encourage people to take psychiatric medications when it’s appropriate. What really encourages people is to understand that it’s not helpful to allow your suffering to make you resentful. And, believe me, I have been very tempted to resent what has happened to me in the last two years, ”Peterson told the newspaper.
During the test, Peterson wrote a sequel to his best-selling book called “Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life.” It is expected to be published in the spring.