Ben Cousins has been in the news again lately. This time he wound up being arrested after some bizarre behaviour near a temple in Canning Vale.

A lot of people find his mental problems a bit of a laugh. Check out some of the comment threads on Facebook page updates by news sites and you'll see what I mean. But I think his protracted fall from grace is terribly sad. 

Clearly drugs have played a huge part in this ongoing tragedy. Meth has clearly damaged his mind severely and it seems permanently. That drug seems to be the most destructive there is -- even worse than heroin in a way. People can return to normality after kicking a heroin habit. But the psychological scars left by ice seem never to heal.

Then there are all the related pressures on his mental health that less high profile people would not have to deal with. It seems that every time Cousins behaves bizarrely it's news. As well as adding to his humiliation, this kind of coverage would increase the sense of shame felt by friends and family, worsening the damage to him. 

I can't see this ending well at all. He seems to have gone way past the point of no return. If he doesn't end up being permanently hospitalized, I think an early death looks increasingly likely.