Jordan Peterson Does Not Have Schizophrenia, Despite Media Claims
Following Jordan Peterson’s year-long battle with serious health issues, he has recently returned to the public eye once more and has conducted a series of interviews in anticipation for the release of his new book. In an interview with The Times, they wrongfully claim that he was diagnosed with Schizophrenia. This claim has led to many other media outlets to repeat this misinformation.
The Canadian academic and clinical psychologist was turned into a world-famous public intellectual following his protest in 2016 over a Canadian bill which compelled the use of transgender people’s preferred pronouns on the grounds that it infringes on free speech. The success of his subsequent lectures, public debates and the publication of the bestselling book 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos have seen him solidify his prominent position in the public sphere.
The Times’ article titled ‘Jordan Peterson on his depression, drug dependency and Russian rehab hell’ seems to deliberately depict Dr Peterson and his daughter Mikhaila in an unflattering light. The opening paragraph describes the entire interview as “very strange” and makes reference to “toxic masculinity” - a concept Dr Peterson is critical of.
When discussing the extensive actions Mikhaila took to ensure her father was given the best treatment, the interviewer states in the article:
“One thing of which I’m certain is that, were I as close to death as she assures me her father repeatedly was, this is not the person I would entrust with saving my life.”
Mikhaila Peterson sought out what she deemed to be the best treatment available for her father from medical professionals located in North America, Europe and Russia. She now accompanies her father in his public appearances as a type of press secretary and personal assistant.
The cause of Dr Peterson’s health issues was originally a bad reaction to “apple cider” which saw him unable to sleep and blacking out upon standing up. The family doctor prescribed a low dose of a benzodiazepine, which appeared to help somewhat. However, Dr Peterson’s health continued to deteriorate and, as of now, he has still not fully recovered.
A now-comparatively-healthy Dr Peterson stated in the interview that his considerable medical issues were caused purely by physical health conditions. Nevertheless, the interviewer claimed that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. After The Times reported this misinformation, outlets such as The Daily Mail and the New York Post repeated it in their respective articles.
Following the publication of these articles, Dr Peterson posted an unedited audio version of the interview to his YouTube channel. According to the uncut interview, Dr Peterson was misdiagnosed with a collection of different conditions - including schizophrenia. However, his symptoms were later revealed to be a side effect of the benzodiazepines, a fact that was omitted from the resulting article.
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