Preventing Another Broken Mind

Published: Nov 14, 2006

It's been four years since Will Hollingsworth doused himself with gasoline and struck a match. He died in fire, just as he told his parents he would.

Tribune reporter Jan Hollingsworth provided a public service to this community with her chilling account of her son's descent into madness, "A Broken Mind," published Sunday in the newspaper and on tbo.com.

Will's story should serve as a warning to other athletes who wrongly believe the deadly growth supplement GHB will enhance their performance when it will actually make their life a living hell. It should send a signal to parents to be on the lookout for one more drug their children may abuse. And it should send a message to professionals who work with kids - teachers, health care workers, coaches - to be on the alert for children whose behavior suggests they may be taking the supplement.

The tragedy is that Will didn't need the drug. He was the perfect son, a gifted student and golden athlete who dreamed of Olympic glory. He exercised often, driven to stay healthy. But he took a dark and unforeseen turn when he started taking a potion he bought from a local health food store. The elixir turned into GHB, commonly known as "the date rape drug," after ingestion.

Tragically, GHB is highly addictive, and when users stop taking it, withdrawal can be horrendous, including psychosis. Unfortunately, physicians and mental health workers often fail to recognize the early stages of withdrawal, when careful detoxification might head off deadly behaviors.

Psychosis led to nearly a dozen forced hospital stays for Will, and the young man Jan knew all but disappeared.

"Will continued to slip from our grasp, trapped in a world inhabited by demons and angels, a world defined by the absence of light or joy. We wondered how long he could survive in such a dark, hopeless place."

Will didn't make it, but others will if they stay away from the drug or get the help they need to end their addiction.

Jan Hollingsworth had a heartbreaking story to tell, but as she says, "If it saves one life, it was worth it."