Kurt Cobain's Bridge - From Ritalin to Heroin

The article “Kurt Cobain and his Battle with Mental Illness,” suggests the rock star’s  sad ending to his life began with ADHD.   It’s been twenty years since Kurt blew his head off with a shotgun.  From his struggles to control his hyperactivity, he progressed to bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, and hard-core drug use.   It’s quite possible.  As early as the fourth grade, Kurt was taught that drugs could relieve emotional distress.  In the case of his hyperactivity, he took Ritalin.  For his teen-age angst, he looked to heroin.

The writer works backward from Kurt’s suicide.  After detailing the grisly details of Kurt pulling the trigger on a shotgun fastened to his mouth, he breaks down the clutter and confusion of Kurt’s suicide note.   His analysis emphasizes mood swings and mixed emotions in the writing.  The writer seems to infer that the Kurt’s use of prescription drugs for ADHD  propelled him towards harder drugs later on.   A life-time of depression and hard drugs put him on a path towards a violent death.

Kurt must have thought he was doomed from the start.  At a very early age, he had heard of the sordid history of suicide and suicide attempts in his family. In fourth grade they were already handing him pills for his own mental illness.  Once, while he was walking home from school, he came across a fellow student who had just hung himself.  Kurt led his life joking about his own “suicide genes.”   Here, he just may have been convinced himself that his suicide would be a self-fulfilling prophesy.  He didn’t see a bright future.  He saw only a world of hurt.

Clearly, the writer didn’t concoct this article as a glowing tribute to a famous rock star.  The writing seemed more concerned with the dangers of prescription drug use.   Kurt mentions in his suicide note that the Ritalin probably inspired his use of street drugs like heroin .  I agree with the writer, and I agree with Kurt.  The  message here  is to all of us who look to drugs for short-term relief.  It’s not worth the long term risk.