BEACH BOY BRIAN’S PSYCHO WARD HORROR!
New meltdown feeds fears surf music king will be locked up again
TROUBLED Beach Boy Brian Wilson has been rocked by a new mental breakdown — and now friends fear the surf music legend will be locked away in a psych ward again!
“Everyone is desperately worried about Brian’s fragile mental state,” says a pal. “This is a big setback for him. Brian could harm himself, and that’s the last thing anyone wants!”
The 77-year-old creator of classic tunes Good Vibrations, God Only Knows and Wouldn’t It Be Nice admits he’s been “hearing voices” since taking psychedelic drugs decades ago and recently revealed he’s “struggling with stuff in my head and saying things I don’t mean — and I don’t know why.”
The episodes are “something I’ve never dealt with before,” says Brian, who canceled his concert tour after his tragic psychological collapse.
Brian says his mental issues
resurfaced following a third operation on his back.
“I started feeling strange and it’s been pretty scary for a while,” he admits.
“Mentally insecure is how I’d describe it. We’re not sure what is causing it but I do know that it’s not good for me to be on the road right now, so I’m heading back to Los Angeles. I’m going to rest, recover and work with my doctors on this. I know this will be something I can AGAIN overcome.”
Brian also noted that in the past he beat “unbearable” mental agony with “doctors and medications” that let him “live a wonderful, healthy and productive life with support from my family, friends and fans.”
Life span expert Dr. Gabe Mirkin says Wilson was right to stop his tour and should QUIT — period!
“I think his incurable back problems and incurable mental problems should encourage
him to retire,” says Mirkin. “He should avoid the tremendous stresses” of performing.
Therapist Dr. Gilda Carle says “Brian’s doing what’s best for him” by ending his tour.
Mirkin adds, “Brian suffers from schizoaffective disorder, in which certain parts of the brain are damaged permanently and any stress can debilitate that person.”
He says Wilson’s past use of hallucinogenic drugs, booze and even smoking increased his risk for the disorder.
Even without working, Brian is mentally tormented, confessing “for the past 40 years I’ve had auditory hallucinations in
my head and I can’t get them out.” The voices started “about a week after I’d taken some psychedelic drugs.”
He also suffers from intense fears, once spending months in bed, and turned to comfort foods, ballooning to over 300 pounds at one point.
He traces his head problems to his youth when his “monster” booze-fueled dad Murry “would yell at me or slap me or call me a p***y!” Murry died in 1973, but Brian never got over the abuse.
“The psychological scars have never healed,” says his pal.
* The doctors quoted in this story have not treated Brian Wilson.