Kony 2012 Filmmaker Jason Russell's Wife Addresses His Flip Out
Danica Russell says her husband suffered from "brief reactive psychosis," and it may take months before he returns to his work with advocacy group Invisible Children.
After Kony 2012 filmmaker Jason Russell’s very public flip out and arrest on the streets of San Diego, his wife is now addressing his condition.
Danica Russell thanked supporters before describing what caused Jason’s naked hysterics (which were captured on video by witnesses), which led to his arrest for public masturbation and vandalism.
“We would, again, like to make it clear that Jason's incident was in no way the result of drugs or alcohol in his body,†Danica says in a statement according to Gawker.
“The preliminary diagnosis he received is called brief reactive psychosis, an acute state brought on by extreme exhaustion, stress and dehydration. Though new to us, the doctors say this is a common experience given the great mental, emotional and physical shock his body has gone through in these last two weeks.â€
The 30-minute video’s cause on behalf of advocacy group Invisible Children calling for action against Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony and earned support from several celebrities including Zooey Deschanel, Busy Phillips, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Ben Affleck, Angelina Jolie and Olivia Wilde.
Yet soon after it gained public traction, the film came under scrutiny for possibly misleading viewers about the problem, advocating a possibly flawed solution and for alleged misuse of funds by Invisible Children.
“Even for us,†Danica says of the emotional experience. “It's hard to understand the sudden transition from relative anonymity to worldwide attention - both raves and ridicules, in a matter of days.â€
She says that Jason will have a full recovery after receiving a “number of weeks†in a hospital’s care, but says it may be months before he’s well enough to resume his role with Invisible Children.
Danica ends her statement by encouraging supporters to “keep your attention turned to the end of Africa's longest running conflict, and setting a precedent for all future injustice†on her husband’s behalf.
