Former Creed Frontman Scott Stapp Says Prescription Drug Abuse Led to Psychotic Episodes

— -- Scott Stapp, the former frontman for Creed, one of the biggest rock bands of the late 90s and early 2000s, was once known for multi-platinum hits like "My Sacrifice," "With Arms Wide Open" and "Higher."

Then Stapp became infamous for a very public meltdown that went on for months last year, in which the rocker posted cryptic video messages online about being "penniless" and that the CIA was watching him. He said he placed maniacal calls to 911, the White House and his son's school, and fired off jarring emails and text messages to family and friends. Meanwhile, Stapp said his bizarre behavior fueled Internet rumors that he was on a drug-fueled downward spiral.

Now, in an exclusive interview on this week's cover of People magazine and with ABC News, Stapp is revealing for the first time that during a hellish span of about six months he said he suffered manic psychosis from overdosing on prescription drugs.

"I was so out of my mind, delusional, turned on everyone that I loved, made wild and crazy accusations about my wife. I thought I was being followed by the government, I mean, it was a manic paranoid, psychotic episode," Stapp told ABC News. "I was driving around with ... a 12-gauge shotgun in my lap. And I thought that people were trying to kill me."

"I would have like, maybe a 45-second interval of, 'What's going on,' and then I'd be right back into the psychosis," he added.

Stapp said his psychosis was so intense that he thought he had been programmed by the CIA -- a real-life Jason Bourne -- and he would prowl airports looking for suspicious cars.

During his music career, Stapp said he had abused alcohol and harder drugs that landed him in trouble with the law, and said that his years of substance abuse was his attempt to self-medicate to battle an undiagnosed bipolar disorder.

Stapp said he first began to "feel different" in 1998. At the time, Creed's "Proof of Life" album had just dropped, but Stapp said he was starting to feel down.

"In 1998, I was on top of the world," Stapp said. "I had four No. 1 singles. My career was taking off. And then all of a sudden, a depression came over me, a debilitating, physical depression."

"And at that point in time, I went into a walk-in clinic while I was on tour, sought a doctor and got a prescription antidepressant, and that's really where this journey begins," he added.

Stapp said he began to battle a cycle of ups and downs, from promoting a new album to feeling depressed and "not focused." In his 2012 book, "Sinner's Creed," Stapp admitted that addiction and depression nearly tore his life apart, leading to a much-publicized 2006 suicide attempt and the disbandment of the band, Creed. The book was supposed to herald his renewed faith and sobriety.

However, Stapp, who said he was still battling underlying pains at the time and had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) years ago, said he "relapsed" and lied to a doctor in 2014 about his past substance abuse to get Adderall.

"I didn't want to return to street drugs, and so I deceived myself and knowingly went in to see a doctor," he said. "Having the previous diagnosis, it made it easy for him to prescribe me Adderall, and I began taking that medication, not knowing the consequences that were getting ready to happen."