MONTEREY, Calif. — Pasadena City College Professor Hugo Schwyzer told the LA Weekly today that he attempted suicide last night.
He was visiting his mother in Monterrey, where he grew up, when he said he "took an entire bottle of Klonapin," a muscle relaxant and anti-anxiety drug.
Schwyzer is oft-referred to as the ‘porn professor’ because of his spirited support for the academic study of pornography.
He is currently on a 72-hour psychiatric hold at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula.
"Mental illness is a bitch, it really is," he told the Weekly in a phone call.
The PCC professor already made headlines this week after dropping his controversial class Navigating Pornography, due to what he said was stress-inducing backlash.
"I'm exhausted by threats and controversy," Schwyzer told the Daily Bulletin on Wednesday. "I need a break."
Schwyzer’s porn course previously received media attention in February when college officials barred the public from attending a lecture by adult crossover star and former PPC students James Deen.
Woes tied to his Navigating Pornography are really only the tip of the iceberg: Schwyzer said he has long been the recipient of harsh criticism via Tweets and other social media exchanges because of his complicated past involving extramarital affairs and self-identification as a feminist.
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