Invisible Children 'Kony 2012' activist Jason Russell diagnosed with brief reactive psychosis

Photo by sean dreilinger via Flickr Creative Commons

Jason Russell of Invisible Children speaks at TEDxSanDiego in December 2011

Jason Russell, the Kony 2012 filmmaker and co-founder of Invisible Children found undressed and behaving wildly in San Diego last week, has been initially diagnosed with brief reactive psychosis, according to his wife.

He was hospitalized following the acute episode which occurred after his video about African warlord Joseph Kony went from relative obscurity to worldwide exposure in a matter of hours. 

Triggered by extreme stress, exhaustion, and dehydration, symptoms of the broad diagnosis can manifest as hallucinations, unusual speech and other unusual behavior consistent with witness accounts.

The condition causes "temporary debilitation, but in general people have good recoveries," said Dr. Stephen Marder, professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles. Doctors say brief reactive psychosis can also signal a more serious mental illness in some cases.

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