Editing Roky Erickson (section)

===Mental illness and legal problems===
In 1968, while performing at [[HemisFair '68|HemisFair]], Erickson began speaking gibberish. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and sent to a Houston psychiatric hospital, where he involuntarily received [[electroconvulsive therapy]].<ref name="autogenerated1" />

The Elevators were vocal proponents of marijuana and [[psychedelic drug]] use,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/obituary/8514011/roky-erickson-dead-13th-floor-elevators|title=Roky Erickson, Frontman of Psych-Rock Pioneers The 13th Floor Elevators, Dies at 71|last=Eggertsen|first=Chris|date=May 31, 2019|magazine=Billboard|access-date=June 1, 2019}}</ref> and were subject to extra attention from law enforcement agencies. In 1969, Erickson was arrested for possession of a single marijuana joint in Austin. Facing a potential ten-year incarceration, Erickson pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to avoid prison. He was first sent to the Austin State Hospital. After several escapes, he was sent to the Rusk State Hospital in Rusk, Texas, where he was subjected to more electroconvulsive therapy and Thorazine treatments, ultimately remaining in custody until 1972. During his time at Rusk, he continued writing songs and poetry. Family and friends managed to smuggle some of these poems, and in 1972, self-published the book ''Openers'', intending to use the proceeds to hire a lawyer. (Various sources claim approximately 1,000 copies of ''Openers'' were printed; how many copies were actually sold remains unknown.) Six tracks from the 1999 Erickson collection ''Never Say Goodbye'' were also recorded during his time at Rusk.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}