Schizophrenia - General Discussion
in Psychology & Therapy ·
Hey everyone,
I have a question... actually, I’m more looking for some advice. Any kind of advice. I stumbled onto this topic while trying to figure out what on earth is going on with my brother. Reading through descriptions of paranoid schizophrenia feels like someone is literally describing him. 😢
Here’s the real kicker: before I even dive into his list of symptoms, I have to ask—how do you actually get someone into treatment if they don't even realize there's a problem? That's the core issue right there. It's the big one. If we don't tackle that, this whole situation is just going to spiral out of control and get a whole lot uglier.
It all kicked off about eighteen months ago. Back then, he was just acting hyper and overly euphoric, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the mess he’s in right now. First things first—I’m fully aware that his daily marijuana habit is probably a massive part of the problem. 😢
We pretty much figured out that his downward spiral started right when he began using that stuff. Before all this, he wasn't even a daily smoker.
He's in his 30s, and there isn't a single diagnosis of schizophrenia in the entire family.
So, my mom and I were sitting around wondering what on earth went wrong with him, and we finally came to a conclusion: this is exactly what happened:
Look, first things first: he spent years working a job that was absolute hell. We’re talking seeing people get seriously hurt or even die on the clock—it was brutal. But honestly? I think that grit gave him a solid foundation. Then, everything hit the fan. Our dad went through a long, grueling illness before passing away, and my brother... well, he didn't really handle the grief well. It’s hard to pin down exactly how he processed it, but about six months after Dad died, he started smoking weed. Within half a year of that, his business tanked, and in just two months, he lost absolutely everything he had.
Things were going downhill fast with his wife, and honestly, it was only a matter of time before they headed straight for divorce.
The first red flag was that weirdly euphoric vibe he had right after his business went under. Honestly, we just chalked it up to the stress of everything falling apart. Nobody even thought to consider schizophrenia at the time.
Then he meets this girl—and honestly, I’d love for someone to help me figure out what might be wrong with her mentally. She was glued to his side 24/7, and suddenly he’s sitting there in front of his mom, telling her he’s a total psychopath, a demon, some kind of monster. He starts rambling about how he has zero feelings and could kill anyone without a second thought. And get this: he tells his mom all this while his new girlfriend is right there, nodding along and agreeing with him 100%. It’s wild. Is it actually possible for people to just lose their minds and fall for that kind of nonsense? What is her deal?
My mom completely lost it. She’s incredibly stressed out because they threatened her, telling her she couldn't say a word to anyone—and then they "proved" they knew everything by somehow finding out... basically, he started hearing voices that told him exactly how they knew. 😢 They spent months acting like they were the ultimate villains, but honestly? They didn't actually do anything besides talk about it.
Then we found out my brother was actually doing some regression therapy during that period. Look, I’m not trying to drag this whole thing back into the spotlight, but I'm convinced that "therapy" did absolutely nothing to help his headspace at the time.
The next thing that went down was actually pretty massive. I really don't want to get into the specifics here because that would mean naming names, and I have zero interest in doing that. But let me just say this: when it happened, the entire country was glued to the news. He messed up big time, and it was all anyone could talk about for weeks. 😢
With everything going on, we were totally lost. We couldn't tell if it was drugs, PTSD, or if he’d somehow joined a cult or something. My poor mom went down this rabbit hole of wild theories just trying to make sense of why this was happening to him. After that whole mess, he started insisting that everyone was out to get him. His "persecutors" included the entire lineup: the local police, the FBI, the church—because apparently, he’s the devil now—even satellites. That’s when the end-of-the-world talk started. He claimed he "knew" exactly when the apocalypse was coming and what it would look like because he’d received some kind of divine revelation through the voices in his head.
During those weeks when things were hitting the absolute breaking point, my mom and I kept calling 911, begging for someone to step in. But the response we got? Total nonsense. They basically told us he had to report himself or take some kind of action on his own. Like that was even an option.
The real problem is that what he actually did—the stuff that made national headlines all across America—wasn't even violent. He was actually clever enough to spin these totally disjointed stories and convince a few journalists that they actually made sense. So, while everyone was busy speculating and guessing what was going on, not a single professional stepped up to realize he needed to be hospitalized.
Honestly, he was never at peace. He just kept spiraling further into his own madness. And let me tell you—that girl is still with him, by the way. She’s right there, backing up every single one of his delusions like they're gospel. Meanwhile, he’s busy tormenting both my mom and his ex-wife at the same time. Total chaos.
It all went south when his wife finally called the cops on him for domestic violence. He ended up serving three months behind bars.
Every time I go visit him, I notice he’s slowly starting to come back to himself. At one point, he even mentioned they put him in a ward with the schizophrenic patients. We’re assuming someone there finally realized what was actually going on and started him on some proper medication, because his communication is steadily improving. He’s stopped trying to boss me around with those insane errands he used to insist I run for him while he was locked up. Even better? He’s finally moving past all those conspiracy theories about people out to get him, the voices in his head, and that whole delusional idea that he’s the devil himself.
When he finally got out, I did everything I could to hang out with him and make sure he was actually doing okay. Honestly, it worked. For two whole months, he hasn't said a single word about that crazy stuff he used to talk about back when things were at their absolute worst.
I’ve actually asked his girlfriend about how they're doing a few times now. I wanted to know what happened after that whole mess where they ended up all over the news. Every single time I bring it up, she shuts me down. She makes it pretty clear that they don't talk about it anymore—it's basically a "forbidden topic" in their house.
Just when I finally convinced myself he was doing okay—literally ten days later—the whole thing comes crashing down. His sickness is right back, and now he’s decided that I’m the perfect audience for his "big revelations."
Everything was pretty much the same this time around, except for one thing: he actually believed he was a warrior for God instead of the devil. He spun it as a total lapse in judgment, claiming he’d just misread what the voices were telling him the first time.
Look, I won't bore you by rehashing every single one of his episodes right now, but I really need to lay out his current mental state and ask for some advice. There’s one thing that’s seriously eating at me: he read about this guy in the news—another huge headline at the time—and decided they were "cut from the same cloth." It would all be fine if that guy hadn't ended up massacring a massive crowd during his own psychotic break.
That’s exactly how I ended up digging through all this data. I just wanted to figure out why my brother is so obsessed with this guy. Turns out, the guy has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and once I actually started reading up on the symptoms... man, my brother checks every single box. Every single one. 😢
Now he’s back to his usual routine, acting like they’re some elite breed and we’re all just bottom-feeders. It’s the end of the world, apparently. He’s just throwing out a bunch of random, disconnected nonsense that makes zero sense. And of course, despite everything, he still refuses to admit he’s actually sick. Typical.
He picks fights with everyone. Doesn't matter if it’s the cashier at Starbucks or some guy driving a city bus. It doesn't matter to him, but he’s constantly looking for trouble—aggressive, loud, and honestly, someone usually ends up getting laid out. It’s pathetic. Everyone is walking on eggshells around him, terrified, yet nobody can seem to step in and get him the mental health help he clearly needs before things go even further south. 😢
And yeah, I also realized that if I try to argue with him or even just make sense to him, he flips into total aggression. He’s incredibly possessive, too. There were several times when he harassed me so badly I genuinely thought he was going to kill me—situations where I literally ran for my life. During the last time I had to bolt, some other stuff went down as well, and now I'm done. I can't stand the sight of him, and I never want to hear his name again.
Look, I don't care if it becomes some massive headline in America again, but not after some senseless killing spree or whatever. Honestly, I just wish we could stop this stuff before it even starts. It’s a bad omen, and it never ends well.
Here’s the "TL;DR" version. I’m begging for some actual, constructive advice if anyone’s got it. 😢
I have a question... actually, I’m more looking for some advice. Any kind of advice. I stumbled onto this topic while trying to figure out what on earth is going on with my brother. Reading through descriptions of paranoid schizophrenia feels like someone is literally describing him. 😢
Here’s the real kicker: before I even dive into his list of symptoms, I have to ask—how do you actually get someone into treatment if they don't even realize there's a problem? That's the core issue right there. It's the big one. If we don't tackle that, this whole situation is just going to spiral out of control and get a whole lot uglier.
It all kicked off about eighteen months ago. Back then, he was just acting hyper and overly euphoric, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the mess he’s in right now. First things first—I’m fully aware that his daily marijuana habit is probably a massive part of the problem. 😢
We pretty much figured out that his downward spiral started right when he began using that stuff. Before all this, he wasn't even a daily smoker.
He's in his 30s, and there isn't a single diagnosis of schizophrenia in the entire family.
So, my mom and I were sitting around wondering what on earth went wrong with him, and we finally came to a conclusion: this is exactly what happened:
Look, first things first: he spent years working a job that was absolute hell. We’re talking seeing people get seriously hurt or even die on the clock—it was brutal. But honestly? I think that grit gave him a solid foundation. Then, everything hit the fan. Our dad went through a long, grueling illness before passing away, and my brother... well, he didn't really handle the grief well. It’s hard to pin down exactly how he processed it, but about six months after Dad died, he started smoking weed. Within half a year of that, his business tanked, and in just two months, he lost absolutely everything he had.
Things were going downhill fast with his wife, and honestly, it was only a matter of time before they headed straight for divorce.
The first red flag was that weirdly euphoric vibe he had right after his business went under. Honestly, we just chalked it up to the stress of everything falling apart. Nobody even thought to consider schizophrenia at the time.
Then he meets this girl—and honestly, I’d love for someone to help me figure out what might be wrong with her mentally. She was glued to his side 24/7, and suddenly he’s sitting there in front of his mom, telling her he’s a total psychopath, a demon, some kind of monster. He starts rambling about how he has zero feelings and could kill anyone without a second thought. And get this: he tells his mom all this while his new girlfriend is right there, nodding along and agreeing with him 100%. It’s wild. Is it actually possible for people to just lose their minds and fall for that kind of nonsense? What is her deal?
My mom completely lost it. She’s incredibly stressed out because they threatened her, telling her she couldn't say a word to anyone—and then they "proved" they knew everything by somehow finding out... basically, he started hearing voices that told him exactly how they knew. 😢 They spent months acting like they were the ultimate villains, but honestly? They didn't actually do anything besides talk about it.
Then we found out my brother was actually doing some regression therapy during that period. Look, I’m not trying to drag this whole thing back into the spotlight, but I'm convinced that "therapy" did absolutely nothing to help his headspace at the time.
The next thing that went down was actually pretty massive. I really don't want to get into the specifics here because that would mean naming names, and I have zero interest in doing that. But let me just say this: when it happened, the entire country was glued to the news. He messed up big time, and it was all anyone could talk about for weeks. 😢
With everything going on, we were totally lost. We couldn't tell if it was drugs, PTSD, or if he’d somehow joined a cult or something. My poor mom went down this rabbit hole of wild theories just trying to make sense of why this was happening to him. After that whole mess, he started insisting that everyone was out to get him. His "persecutors" included the entire lineup: the local police, the FBI, the church—because apparently, he’s the devil now—even satellites. That’s when the end-of-the-world talk started. He claimed he "knew" exactly when the apocalypse was coming and what it would look like because he’d received some kind of divine revelation through the voices in his head.
During those weeks when things were hitting the absolute breaking point, my mom and I kept calling 911, begging for someone to step in. But the response we got? Total nonsense. They basically told us he had to report himself or take some kind of action on his own. Like that was even an option.
The real problem is that what he actually did—the stuff that made national headlines all across America—wasn't even violent. He was actually clever enough to spin these totally disjointed stories and convince a few journalists that they actually made sense. So, while everyone was busy speculating and guessing what was going on, not a single professional stepped up to realize he needed to be hospitalized.
Honestly, he was never at peace. He just kept spiraling further into his own madness. And let me tell you—that girl is still with him, by the way. She’s right there, backing up every single one of his delusions like they're gospel. Meanwhile, he’s busy tormenting both my mom and his ex-wife at the same time. Total chaos.
It all went south when his wife finally called the cops on him for domestic violence. He ended up serving three months behind bars.
Every time I go visit him, I notice he’s slowly starting to come back to himself. At one point, he even mentioned they put him in a ward with the schizophrenic patients. We’re assuming someone there finally realized what was actually going on and started him on some proper medication, because his communication is steadily improving. He’s stopped trying to boss me around with those insane errands he used to insist I run for him while he was locked up. Even better? He’s finally moving past all those conspiracy theories about people out to get him, the voices in his head, and that whole delusional idea that he’s the devil himself.
When he finally got out, I did everything I could to hang out with him and make sure he was actually doing okay. Honestly, it worked. For two whole months, he hasn't said a single word about that crazy stuff he used to talk about back when things were at their absolute worst.
I’ve actually asked his girlfriend about how they're doing a few times now. I wanted to know what happened after that whole mess where they ended up all over the news. Every single time I bring it up, she shuts me down. She makes it pretty clear that they don't talk about it anymore—it's basically a "forbidden topic" in their house.
Just when I finally convinced myself he was doing okay—literally ten days later—the whole thing comes crashing down. His sickness is right back, and now he’s decided that I’m the perfect audience for his "big revelations."
Everything was pretty much the same this time around, except for one thing: he actually believed he was a warrior for God instead of the devil. He spun it as a total lapse in judgment, claiming he’d just misread what the voices were telling him the first time.
Look, I won't bore you by rehashing every single one of his episodes right now, but I really need to lay out his current mental state and ask for some advice. There’s one thing that’s seriously eating at me: he read about this guy in the news—another huge headline at the time—and decided they were "cut from the same cloth." It would all be fine if that guy hadn't ended up massacring a massive crowd during his own psychotic break.
That’s exactly how I ended up digging through all this data. I just wanted to figure out why my brother is so obsessed with this guy. Turns out, the guy has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and once I actually started reading up on the symptoms... man, my brother checks every single box. Every single one. 😢
Now he’s back to his usual routine, acting like they’re some elite breed and we’re all just bottom-feeders. It’s the end of the world, apparently. He’s just throwing out a bunch of random, disconnected nonsense that makes zero sense. And of course, despite everything, he still refuses to admit he’s actually sick. Typical.
He picks fights with everyone. Doesn't matter if it’s the cashier at Starbucks or some guy driving a city bus. It doesn't matter to him, but he’s constantly looking for trouble—aggressive, loud, and honestly, someone usually ends up getting laid out. It’s pathetic. Everyone is walking on eggshells around him, terrified, yet nobody can seem to step in and get him the mental health help he clearly needs before things go even further south. 😢
And yeah, I also realized that if I try to argue with him or even just make sense to him, he flips into total aggression. He’s incredibly possessive, too. There were several times when he harassed me so badly I genuinely thought he was going to kill me—situations where I literally ran for my life. During the last time I had to bolt, some other stuff went down as well, and now I'm done. I can't stand the sight of him, and I never want to hear his name again.
Look, I don't care if it becomes some massive headline in America again, but not after some senseless killing spree or whatever. Honestly, I just wish we could stop this stuff before it even starts. It’s a bad omen, and it never ends well.
Here’s the "TL;DR" version. I’m begging for some actual, constructive advice if anyone’s got it. 😢