r Jordan Peterson, the Canadian psychologist who grew to international fame following his stand against political correctness and refusal to use gender pronouns, has been checked into a rehabilitation facility in New York, his daughter has confirmed.
In an eight-minute video released on her YouTube and social media channels, Mikhaila Peterson said her 57-year-old father was checked into the clinic after experiencing "horrific" physical withdrawal symptoms from trying to take himself off of the drug Clonazepam.
Peterson, who has previously been open about his relationship with depression, was prescribed the drug following his wife's diagnosis of a terminal cancer in April this year. Her illness also caused Peterson to suspend the speaking tour for his internationally best-selling book,
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, in addition to delaying publication of his forthcoming title.
Jordan Peterson speaks at ICC Sydney Theatre on February 26, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. On Thursday, Peterson's daughter Mikhaila said her father had checked into a rehabilitation center in New York.GETTY IMAGES
Tammy, Peterson's wife of thirty years, has since made a "miraculous" recovery following numerous operations, surgical complications and months in and out of different hospitals, Mikhaila said, which has since triggered Peterson's desire to wean himself off the drug.
However, he was "like a lost puppy" and seriously needed the help of medical experts, she added.
"I've never seen my dad like this," Mikhaila said. "He's having a miserable time of it. It breaks my heart."
The 27-year-old, who has been one of the most active proponents of the
controversial Carnivore Diet, along with her father, said that he was recovering and should be able to return to his career shortly.
"The situation is really sad. He looks like a lost puppy. But it will only last while he gets this horrible medication out his system and then he will be good to go again," Mikhaila said.
She also shared a video of Peterson from a recent visit to the rehabilitation facility where he appeared to be in good spirits and can be seen pushing his granddaughter, Elizabeth Scarlett, in a stroller.
The news of Peterson's admission into rehab comes shortly after the latest commotion surrounding the University of Toronto professor who has become no stranger to controversy since his rise to fame in 2016. Filmmakers who directed the documentary
The Rise of Jordan Peterson said earlier this week that a Toronto cinema have cancelled a week-long screening of their film.
Director Patricia Marcoccia told Canada's The National Post that the film was scheduled for a theatrical run at the Carlton Cinema, but stated that the theater later cancelled the screening because some employees were uncomfortable with it.
Peterson's reputation as controversial traces back to his early, self-published YouTube videos that were titled "Professor against political correctness." He also refused to comply with Canadian law which would require him to address transgender students by the pronoun of their choice, stating that no time in British Common Law history has the legal code mandated what we must say, as opposed to simply what we must not say.
Critics have argued that this stance is "transphobic" however Peterson has maintained that the issue is not related to transgender rights, but to protecting legal precedents that keep authoritarian governments at bay.
He has since spoken in over 100 cities, often to sold-out arenas, and has over two-million YouTube subscribers.
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