Jackass star Steve-O is in a mental institution

I think one of the best ways to really keep kids off drugs is to talk to them in their own language. And it’s best when they hear about it from people they’ll actually listen to; people who speak on their level. So who better to warn kids to stay off drugs than Jackass star Steve-O?

Steve has a rap sheet so long I think his Wikipedia page almost exploded when I opened it. He’s struggled with serious drugs and mental illness for years, and in March was physically removed from his home by his friends, who forced him to check into a mental hospital. He’s been there ever sense, and recently wrote on his blog exactly why you shouldn’t do drugs.

After seeing “Dr. Drew’s Celebrity Addiction Special” on VH1 News, I figured it was time to put something out there for you all. I expected my part on that show to be much harder to watch than it wound up being. It made me want to explain a little bit of what I’ve been going through since I got clean, to help some of you understand how much damage drugs and alcohol have really done to me. I’ve now been clean for 115 days, and I’m, again, in a mental institution. I did so much cocaine, ketamine, pcp, nitrous oxide, and all sorts of other drugs, that, quite simply, my brain is f&%$ed up. As you can probably tell by the way I’m writing this, my cognitive skills are alright, but, I frequently suffer from horrible mood swings and severe depression. Those of you who have followed my warped mind’s trail on the Internet for a significant amount of time have, I’m sure, been very aware of those attributes, but, I just want you all to know that four f&%$ng months (almost) of not touching a damn thing that a psychiatrist didn’t perscribe to me hasn’t changed that shit. The medication that is prescribed to me doesn’t do the trick every day, let’s just put it that way. I’m back in the looney bin trying to get that shit right. The bottom line is that doing drugs f&%$ed my ass up and I’m going to be paying for it for a long time, probably for the rest of my life. Everyone’s going to make their own decisions in life, but nobody needs to make the same mistakes I made. I love you all,

[From Steve O’s Myspace blog]

I think that’s really good to hear. A lot of people experiment a bit with drugs and are fine, and that’s the end of the story. But there are always heartbreaking stories like Steve’s where it just ends up ruining a person’s life. I have a friend who has been in and out of mental institutions since high school in a case that sounds pretty similar to this.

Steve obviously has a ton of issues – both medical and mental – to work through. But it sounds like he’s taking them seriously, and hopefully will do whatever work needs to be done to get better.

Here’s Steve O at Maxim’s 2008 Hot 100 party in Los Angeles on May 21st. I’m assuming he’s either been in and out of the mental hospital and happened to be out that day, or he got some kind of… day pass? Photographer: Dimitri Halkidis; Images thanks to WENN.

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16 Responses to “Jackass star Steve-O is in a mental institution”

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  1. Bodhi says:

    Huh. Well, good on him for telling the truth about what continuous & copius drug use can & will do to you

  2. aury says:

    about time.

  3. xiaoecho says:

    Mental Institution? Wouldn’t Psychiatric Hospital or Psych Ward been less stigmatizing? Aren’t the only people locked away in institutions anti social crims? ‘Mental Institution’ is so 19th century

    Sorry, I have super sonic radar when it comes to stigmatization of the mentally ill

    Steve O is lovely and his illness, no doubt, contributes to that loveliness

  4. silentA says:

    He’s a good looking dude. And in those pictures he looks healthy

  5. Susan says:

    My husband is in treatment for years and years of meth addiction. His brain is fried. They are trying to get him on some medication. Bipolar, ADHD — lots of problems.

    Drugs are bad….I think they should bring back that “scared straight” thing to show kids what it looks like when you do drugs. It ain’t glamorous. It’s heart breaking for the loves ones and pure hell for the addict trying to find his brain again.

  6. WTF says:

    susan,

    i hope your husband gets the help he needs and lives a long life. Your a good person for supporting him.

  7. Kimmy says:

    “He’s been there ever sense, and recently wrote on his blog exactly why you shouldn’t do drugs.”

    What you meant to write was “he’s been there ever SINCE.”

    Sorry for being a bitch about the English language, but I couldn’t resist.

  8. lunachick says:

    Yeah…I lost the guy I thought was my soulmate to meth. We broke up over it (I tried to get him into treatment; he cheated then left me altogether); were friends while I got on with my life; now I got married a week ago after 7 years with my current (sober!) guy, and my ex has disappeared – his career is over, and no one knows where he’s gone, such a good person lost to that horrible drug. I’m not against experimenting with substances in general, but I honestly think nothing good can come of meth. Or heroin. They are just bad news, and they ruin beautiful people.

  9. Mr. T says:

    He seemed to be enjoying himself by doing drugs in public settings and being photographed at the same time. Now he’s against drugs. Seriously, he made his bed and he gets to sleep in it.

  10. Sol says:

    I never understood what was supposed to be funny at his JA tv show.I always felt sorry and it made me mad seeing what he let himself do for “fun”.
    I once saw him on Kat vonD show and he had attitudes of a little child ,i remember telling my daughter look what drugs can do to you.Hopefully he will get the help he needs and be at terms with himself.

  11. Anastasia says:

    He’s not my favorite person, but I do wish him well. I hope he stays far away from the drugs from here on out. Many of the stunts he pulled HAD to have been drug-fueled, as no one in their right minds would actually do them.

  12. paris herpes says:

    He’s such a douche.

  13. tamara&jenna says:

    hey steve-o we love u and ur so awesome we think u and johnny is so sexy love ya

  14. Shawn rumbaugh says:

    Hey Steve o man, reading that blog really just woke me up to a lot things I’ve been suffering latley from the way my mind has been changing and I’m going through hell trying to find my old self agian it really sucks ducking cock I’m always depressed and stuck in a deepthought about how I see the worlds perception changing in my mind. Reading your blog almost made me cry.. I hope you get well man, my hero.. Love ya dude

  15. corentin says:

    ses tro un fou se mec

  16. E. says:

    It amazes me how Steve-o is in a Mental Ward, he obviously for a career (if you want to call it a career) acts like a Jackass, and is a Jackass in real life but then these complete MORONS like Steve-O get’s these hot women. Why oh why do hot women go for these complete losers… I mean he’s obviously been a druggie, almost tried to kill himself in one of his shows while high, now in a mental ward. What is it seriously with these hot women that they throw themselves at these losers? Women seriously think that Steve-O is a confident man, he’s sure of himself blah blah blah… BS.. He’s an uneducated loser that just purely got lucky!!! If Steve-O was not in show biz he would be a most likely a homeless drugged up sucidial loser but since he’s in the “biz” that instantly makes him “cool” and women throw themselves at him.

    Anyone can be a Jackass if they want and it’s crazy how one such as Steve-O can act like a Jackass and make a career out of it. I’m betting that some idiot producer was desperate to get any show “out there” and was willing to do any kind of show such as Jackass. At the same time a daughter that bring’s Steve0 home parents would shi* their pants and that daughter would get the HE** no from her parents and the parents would want him out of the house… I mean hell look at him in real life (drug user and a rap sheet longer than most people).