Schizophrenia and Syd Barrett: Pink Floyd's Tragic Genius

Introduction

Many music fans today may not have heard of Pink Floyd, but during the heyday of their career these musicians were widely regarded as being among the best in the business. The man credited with much of the band's success is their co-founder, artist, composer, singer, and guitarist, Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett. Many fans may not realize that this multitalented musician suffered from the debilitating condition of schizophrenia — a disorder that some observers suggest contributed to the eccentricity of his musical compositions as well as his eventual withdrawal from society. Moreover, many of Barrett's close friends observed him exhibiting the classic symptoms of schizophrenia, including hallucinations, which worsened over time to the point where he sought refuge in isolation until his death in 2006.

To gain additional insight into this condition and the evidence-based interventions used to treat it, this paper reviews the relevant literature to provide an overview of Barrett's career and how his lifestyle and schizophrenia may have affected his perceptions about treatment, a discussion of the etiological family and cultural factors associated with schizophrenia, and a description of how family members might have experienced his behavior and symptoms. A proposed evidence-based intervention for Barrett and similarly situated clients is then followed by a conclusion summarizing the research and key findings concerning schizophrenia and hallucinations.

How Syd Barrett Might Have Felt Entering Treatment

Born on January 6, 1946, in Cambridge, England, Barrett was the fourth of five siblings born to Winifred and Max Barrett (Barrett biography, 2016). Both his parents encouraged his interest in music, and over time he learned to play a wide range of instruments, including the banjo, ukulele, and guitar. He also demonstrated a talent for writing early on and received awards for his poetry in school (Barrett biography, 2016). Following stints with garage bands and experimentation with songwriting, Barrett attended Camberwell College of Arts to study painting in 1964 (Barrett biography, 2016). Two years later, he joined an existing group to form Pink Floyd, and the rest is musical history (Barrett biography, 2016).

Pink Floyd's recordings are characterized by one biographer as being "marked by presence of the guitarist and singer Syd Barrett — with his flamboyant but fragile personality" (Bratus, 2012, p. 149). The "fragile personality" refers to this musician's well-documented experiences with schizophrenia which, although never specifically diagnosed during his lifetime, was evident to everyone around him. As one biographer notes, "Although he was hospitalized briefly, he was never officially diagnosed with a mental illness or medicated. Barrett died of pancreatic cancer on July 7, 2006, at the age of 60, in Cambridge, England" (Barrett biography, 2016, para. 4). Likewise, Curtis observes that "it's hard to diagnose someone retrospectively, but if Syd Barrett did have schizophrenia, he must have been a functional schizophrenic to live out his life without prolonged or frequent hospitalization" (2012, p. 43).

Lacking an understanding of his mental illness, Barrett would therefore have likely entered any mental health treatment setting with some degree of skepticism and even trepidation. Nevertheless, it is clear from anecdotal accounts and empirical observations that many people who knew Barrett well confirmed that he exhibited many — if not all — of the classic symptoms of schizophrenia, though it is unclear whether they or Barrett himself attributed these symptoms to mental illness or to his use of hallucinogenic drugs. As DiLorenzo notes, "Barrett's madness was not quite a sudden explosion, however, but rather a gradual implosion [and] Syd's songs contained warnings from the beginning: he dealt with instability and the primal need for comfort" (1978, para. 5).

Indeed, contemporary and modern biographers alike blame Barrett's use of LSD as being primarily responsible for his mental health problems, and some conclude that one caused the other. Blackman (2003) reports that "Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd, a saintly figure of English psychedelia, had an LSD obsession which later developed into schizophrenia" (p. 95). Taken together, it is reasonable to suggest that Barrett was either unable or unwilling to accept the reality of his mental health issues, preferring instead to indulge his lifestyle choices and accept their consequences — an outcome that is especially tragic given the clear signs he exhibited throughout his professional career.

Etiological Cultural and Genetic Factors Associated with Schizophrenia

A drug culture existed in the 1960s and early 1970s that not only tolerated the use of hallucinogens such as LSD but actively encouraged it. Proponents such as Dr. Timothy Leary counseled young people to "tune in, turn on, and drop out," and many followed his advice (Elcock, 2014). Kysilka (2009) emphasizes that during the 1960s, "young people were disillusioned with mainstream religions and sought meaning from eastern religions. Zen Buddhism and Transcendental Meditation became popular among the youth. Timothy Leary popularized LSD [as] a mind-opening drug, and the drug culture became the scene" (p. 8). Against this backdrop, it is not surprising that cutting-edge musicians such as Barrett would also experiment with hallucinogens, though it is surprising that he was able to continue a productive career for as long as he did despite his increasingly debilitated mental condition.

While Barrett contributed to the glamorization of hallucinogenic drug use, it is also clear that he became caught up in the same cycle of abuse that caused many users to develop mental health problems (Curtis, 2012). Studies have consistently identified an association between countries with drug cultures and higher incidences of schizophrenia and other mental disorders (Abiama & Ifeagwazi, 2015). There were, therefore, powerful cultural influences on young people — including Barrett — during this formative period, but there may also have been other factors linked to schizophrenia, including a genetic predisposition to the disorder.

There is a growing body of scientific evidence confirming that some people may be genetically predisposed to developing schizophrenia (Alfimova & Abramova, 2009). Garg and Trivedi (2012) report that "a few studies have shown the relative sensitivity and reliability of cognitive and psychophysiological markers of brain function as the susceptibility factors for schizophrenia, which may aid us to find people with an increased risk of complex disorders like schizophrenia" (p. 331). There is also the possibility that Barrett's frequent use of cannabis further exacerbated a genetic predisposition. Warner (2004) points out that "people with a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia inherit a nervous-system fragility that renders brain tissue more sensitive to the effects of oxygen deprivation" (p. 216).

Besides a possible genetic predisposition, several other environmental factors may have contributed to the onset of Barrett's schizophrenia. One biographer reports that when Barrett was not quite 16 years old, his father's death traumatized him, and the high pressure of his early career was likewise a potential contributing factor (Syd Barrett dies, 2006). Barrett's use of hallucinogenic drugs and his high level of creativity have both been linked with increased incidences of mental illness (Nasrallah, 2008). Moreover, Barrett developed diabetes later in his career, and this condition — combined with an increasingly sedentary lifestyle — may have accelerated his schizophrenia (Syd Barrett dies, 2006). In sum, Barrett was at high risk for developing schizophrenia, and he might have been helped by a family-based pharmacological intervention had his family members recognized the true cause of his problems.

Conclusion

Despite being endowed with enormous talent, the research showed that Syd Barrett was dealt a stacked hand when it came to schizophrenia. Not only was he in the highest risk categories for developing this condition, but his lifestyle and substance-abusing behaviors most likely further exacerbated his mental illness. While it is impossible to conclude with certainty that Barrett suffered from schizophrenia, he exhibited all of the classic symptoms of the condition and has even been used as a textbook example by mental health practitioners.

The research also showed that, although many of his friends and family members recognized some of the danger signs of schizophrenia in Barrett's life, many people do not know enough about the condition to provide meaningful help. In the final analysis, it is reasonable to conclude that if Rosemary and others who were in a position to encourage Barrett to seek treatment had been more knowledgeable about schizophrenia, they might have succeeded in obtaining the family therapy-based intervention he needed. Unfortunately, their lack of knowledge translated into a tragic end for Barrett and an incalculable loss for the music world.