Whether you know Brian Wilson by name or not, you certainly know his music. Wilson was the genius behind the Beach Boys, one of the single most important successful acts in the history of popular music. Wilson gained fame by elevating pop music into high art, with complex, layered productions and new styles that still amaze and influence to this day. Despite Wilson’s inarguable genius, he was plagued with mental illness, namely schizophrenia. However, this mental illness didn’t arise out of thin air; instead, it was likely triggered by drug use, highlighting an oft-forgotten danger of drugs like LSD and PCP. Drugs can bring about mental illness even after just one use.
In Wilson’s case, heavy amounts of drug abuse in the form of marijuana and LSD caused a significant amount of brain damage. In 1965, Wilson tried LSD for the first time, and shortly afterward began to have auditory hallucinations, a common symptom of schizophrenia. Despite discontinuing his use of LSD, Wilson continued to hear voices, until his condition was finally confirmed by his doctor. While Wilson’s case was clear, there is still a great debate in the medical and drug communities about LSD’s ability to cause schizophrenia.
Despite multiple cases arising, there has been no confirmed link between LSD and schizophrenia. However, many argue that this comes down to semantics. Many feel that LSD doesn’t necessarily cause schizophrenia, but instead triggers the disorder that already laid dormant in the host. Schizophrenia has been studied for decades, but a clear cause hasn’t been uncovered. Regardless, the general consensus finds that genetics play a significant role in the disorder. Therefore, many believe that the link between schizophrenia and LSD isn’t one of cause but instead of triggering, meaning that schizophrenia was already there, waiting to surface, and the wild paranoid trip of LSD provides the mechanism.
While the connection isn’t clear between LSD and schizophrenia, it is clear that something is there. Regardless, if you or someone you know is struggling with LSD and possibly displaying strange symptoms, get help as soon as possible. It’s never too late for treatment.
