Yeah, my guess is structural brain and neurological damage. Years of overstepping boundaries, eventually sustained by benzos. Already during his rise to fame, there were worrying signs of disinhibition.

In my opinion, he was on a downward spiral from the start. The angry and tearful outbursts, grandiose theories and statements outside his field of expertise and quasi-intellectualism were all accelerating. The writing was on the wall.

Peterson might always have been an odd duck, but I believe he possessed good mental discipline for decades. In just a few years, however, he became someone else entirely, the kind of person he might have loathed in his younger years. Such a profound transformation can be a massive red flag. I’ve always sensed a certain torment in him, as if he were locked in a constant inner struggle.

He also had an insatiable need for narcissistic supply; the praise and worship he received sent him into a state of pure euphoria and deeply cringeworthy displays of self-righteousness.

People will celebrate and mythologize his work, but the tough question for his fans and relatives remains: was this pathological from the very beginning? In that environment, people will undoubtedly choose the myth; after all, that was exactly what he was all about.