Scott Stapp, former frontman of the 1990s band Creed, has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
In an interview with People magazine, the 41-year-old musician described the bizarre behavior that landed him on a psych hold in Florida last year.
"I had a psychotic break that was brought on by alcohol and drug abuse. I was hallucinating. I drove around the United States for a month, following an angel that I saw on the hood of my car," he said. "In my delusional thinking, I thought my family was involved in ISIS, and that millions of dollars had been taken from me to support terrorism. All of it was nonsense. I was out of my mind."
He received the bipolar disorder diagnosis while attending an intensive program in a dual diagnostic facility. While the diagnosis shocked the musician, it also brought some relief.
“Finally, we had an answer," Stapp told People.
During a span of about six months last year, Stapp posted bizarre video messages online, made maniacal calls to 911, and sent disturbing messages to family and friends, ABC News reported.
"I was so out of my mind, delusional, turned on everyone that I loved, made wild and crazy accusations about my wife. I thought I was being followed by the government, I mean, it was a manic paranoid, psychotic episode," Stapp told ABC News. "I was driving around with . . . a 12-gauge shotgun in my lap. And I thought that people were trying to kill me."
He described his years of substance abuse as an attempt to self-medicate his undiagnosed disorder, telling ABC News that he first started to “feel different” in 1998.
Stapp said last year’s manic episode was fueled by his abuse of prescription drugs, including taking more Adderall than he was prescribed, followed by his abrupt halt to the medication.
Stapp has moved home to Florida with his wife, Jaclyn, and is receiving intensive treatment as he opens up about his ordeal.
Twitter users expressed support for the singer.
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