Jordan Peterson in ‘hellish’ battle against ‘old neurological injury’: daughter

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Peterson, 62, fought to defeat a benzodiazepine addiction in 2019 — seeking treatment in Russia at the time — and developed akathisia in the aftermath, but Mikhaila said in her video that he has not taken any psychiatric medication since January.

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Instead, she attributed the relapse to a combination of extreme stress over the last year from the deaths of both of his parents, relocation to the U.S. and the sale of their family home in Toronto, and mould exposure that caused the CIRS.

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“This has been unbelievably hard on my family,” she said, describing months of daily distress and uncertainty as doctors allegedly misdiagnosed the condition before Peterson also developed pneumonia and sepsis last October.

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68 Olive Avenue in Seaton Village as seen from the outside. Photo by Daniel Freeman

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But Mikhaila said her father’s condition “is improving now that we understand it as a neurological injury and are focusing on time, recovery, and avoiding triggers.

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“There is light at the end of the tunnel.”

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One of the drivers for making the update, she said, was to share her research into akathisia and some of the risks associated with long-term use of psychiatric medication. To that end, and “out of frustration,” she created Prescribed-harm.com, a website where visitors can share their experiences and access dozens of papers on topics related to medication dangers, akathisia, and other topics.

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And while she said on X that she “will be jumping up and down about psych med injury awareness from now on,” she said people finding success with the drugs shouldn’t feel pressured to taper.

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“Do your research but don’t get concerned from this video and destabilize a stable situation without knowing the risks,” she wrote.

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Mikhaila, who is currently 25 weeks pregnant with her second child, said there are no further updates on Peterson’s health planned, as it causes the family too much stress and there’s “nothing more to say about it until things get better.”

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