SAN DIEGO (RNN) - The family of the filmmaker and creator of a YouTube viral video about an African warlord issued a statement Wednesday saying Jason Russell has received a diagnosis for the bizarre behavior that led to his hospitalization.
Jason Russell's wife, Danica, said her husband had "brief reactive psychosis" brought on by extreme exhaustion, stress and dehydration.
"Though new to us, the doctors say this is a common experience given the great mental, emotional and physical shock his body has gone through these last two weeks," Danica Russell said in a statement.
Russell was detained by San Diego police Thursday after running through an intersection and up and down sidewalks, appearing to rant and scream and bang his fists on the ground. Police have not identified him by name, but witnesses said he was masturbating in public, and seemed intoxicated.
The 'KONY 2012' video put out by Russell's charity, Invisible Children, has been viewed more than 82 million times in two weeks on YouTube. It depicts Joseph Kony as a murderous warlord who slaughters children, or recruits them into forced service as soldiers and prostitutes.
Much scrutiny of the charity and the video surfaced as soon as the video went viral, including questions about how much of the charity's funds are going toward relief efforts in northern Uganda.
Danica Russell said their family and associates were stunned by the worldwide attention and scrutiny the video received in a matter of days.
Jason Russell will remain hospitalized for a number of weeks, she said.
"After that, the recovery process could take months before he is fully able to step back into his role with Invisible Children," she said. "During that time, we will focus on a speedy recovery, but a thorough one."
Two videos of Jason Russell's rant circulated through the media on Monday, including one posted by TMZ, which shows a stark naked man pacing back and forth on a sidewalk and pounding his fists into the pavement.
Jason Russell was never placed under arrest nor booked into jail. After trying to restrain him, police decided the "best course of action" was to get him a medical evaluation at a local hospital, where he was admitted.
Last week, Danica Russell said the attention the film received was welcome but unexpected.
"We thought a few thousand people would see the film, but in less than a week, millions of people around the world saw it," she said. "While that attention was great for raising awareness about Joseph Kony, it also brought a lot of attention to Jason - and, because of how personal the film is, many of the attacks against it were also very personal, and Jason took them very hard."
She said then that her husband has never had a substance abuse or drinking problem and that his behavior wasn't caused by either of those.
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