granitepuma26 said:Hey everyone.
Don't blame me—I don't have the bandwidth to slog through all 230 pages.
I’ve been noticing symptoms similar to schizophrenia in a friend (if you can even call him that anymore).
I'm guessing most of you agree that the best move is just to run for the hills. At first, I was actually scared to ignore him—he genuinely unnerved me.
I tried playing along—pretending everything he said was true, acting like he actually had superpowers or some kind of 4D insight. But it wasn't enough for him, and I couldn't keep up the act forever.
More than the actual stories, though, his attitude was the problem. He acts "arrogant and haughty. He feels superior, omnipotent, all-knowing, called to give advice, invincible, immune, and 'above the law.'" (I pulled that quote from a site about Narcissistic Personality Disorder).
Anyway, I've distanced myself, and he's stopped pestering me—he's pulling away from everyone now. In his mind, everyone else is beneath him and unworthy of his company, so there's no point in talking to us. He thinks we just don't "get" him and think he's crazy, when really, we're the ones living in a delusion.
My question is: what do I do if he keeps reaching out? Do I sit there and endure the nonsense, or just ghost him entirely?
Also, how do people like this actually seek help? There's zero chance he realizes he's sick or would ever agree to see a psychiatrist, yet I know people with schizophrenia do get treatment. How does that process even start?
And what's your take on all this? To add to the list, he shows these traits: total indifference (he doesn't care about anyone, even regarding death); he constantly perceives changes in himself, others, or nature; he claims his vision has changed; he believes he has an intense sixth sense; he makes prophetic claims about world shifts; he's convinced people are jealous of him; he belittles everything; talks about "energy"; considers himself "chosen"—he even claimed to be God once.
He refuses to work. He looks down on labor and other people's achievements.
He's rarely depressed. Most of the time, he's smiling.
He’s used hallucinogens and weed. After using psychedelics, he had experiences that convinced him he has special powers. He thinks what he sees while tripping is the real world, and that what the rest of us see is just an illusion. Basically, he thinks we're living in the Matrix—that we're all stupid and blind. It frustrates him that nobody believes him.
Sorry for the long post.
Honestly, anyone who agrees with that doesn't deserve to have friends. None at all. 🤷
My question is, what should I do if he keeps reaching out? Should I just endure these stories or ignore him entirely (just not respond)?
Just see how much you can handle. You could, of course, avoid him and ignore the messages—especially if his symptoms are making you uncomfortable—or you could try to help. Well,
a friend in need... you know the rest.
And I’m wondering how people like this actually seek help. There's no way he realizes he's sick or would ever agree to see a psychiatrist, yet I know people with schizophrenia do get treatment. How does that process even happen?
Most often, it happens through involuntary hospitalization once they start doing things that put themselves or the people around them at risk.
So, based on everything I’ve written, what’s your impression?
It really seems like he’s lost touch with reality and is showing genuine psychotic symptoms. Beyond that, trying to diagnose anything over the internet without a clinical exam or psychological testing is difficult and honestly pretty counterproductive.
Does he have parents or any other family members you could talk to? Maybe you could work together to try and convince him to go for a psychiatric evaluation.