Jordan B. Peterson Health Update: Author Is Recovering

Jordan B. Peterson is now expected to recover after a dangerous and very arduous journey back from benzodiazepine addiction, which occurred because of an averse reaction to the medication, his daughter told fans in a YouTube video updating the author’s health.

Peterson is a well-known author and clinical psychologist who wrote the bestseller “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos.”

The YouTube video from February 2020 on Peterson’s YouTube channel is called “Peterson Family Update.” It was posted on February 7, 2020 and has more than 700,000 views already. Jordan Peterson’s daughter, Mikhaila Peterson, speaks in the video.

Here’s what you need to know:

---

Peterson Sought Treatment in Russia & Is Now Expected to Recover, His Family Says

“Hi Everyone. It’s been months since we’ve given an update on Jordan or my family’s health and it’s time for one, so here it is,” Jordan’s daughter says in the video.

“The last year has been extremely difficult for our family. Dad was put on a low dose of benzodiazepine a few years ago for anxiety following an extremely severe auto immune reaction to food.”

When his wife was diagnosed with cancer, he took a higher dosage, his daughter says, and that’s when the problems began.

“He took the medication as prescribed,” she says in the video. “Last April, when my mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer, the dose of the medication was increased. It became apparent that he was suffering from both a physical dependency and a paradoxical reaction to the medication. A paradoxical reaction means the drugs do the opposite of what they’re supposed to. These reactions are rare but not unheard of.”

She added: “For the last 8 months, he’s been in unbearable discomfort from this drug, made worse when trying to remove it because of the additional withdrawal symptoms.”

A physical dependence let to a terrible condition where the person “feels an endless irresistible restlessness bordering on panic and inability to sit still. The reaction made him suicidal. After several failed treatment attempts in north American hospitals, including attempts at tapering and micro tapering, we had to seek an emergency medical benzodiazepine detox, which we were only able to find in Russia,” his daughter says.

“It was incredible grueling and it was further complicated by severe pneumonia, which we’ve been told he developed in one of the previous hospitals.”

He spent four weeks in the ICU in “terrible shape. With the help of some extremely confident and courageous doctors he survived. The decision to bring him to Russia was made in extreme desperation when we couldn’t find any better option. The uncertainty around his recovery has been one of the most difficult and scary experiences we’ve ever had.”

He’s now recovering, but “there’s a lot of physiological damage he needs to recover from,” she said. “He’s improving and he’s off the horrible medication. His sense of humor is back, he’s smiling again for the first time in months, but he still has a long way to go to recover fully. It appears we’re going to get through this by the skin of our teeth.”

She concluded by saying she wanted to “make a couple of things clear. Neither our family nor the doctors here believe this is a case of psychological addiction. Benzodiazepine physical dependence due to brain changes can occur in a matter of weeks. It can be made even worse by paradoxical reactions that are difficult to diagnose and can be extremely dangerous.”

In conclusion, she said, “We’ve been told and hope that dad will recover fully, but it will take time, and he has a ways to go. We’re extremely lucky and grateful that he’s alive. The next update will come from him directly. Thanks again for all the support.”