Could it be schizophrenia?

I posted a thread a little while back about "split personalities," and honestly, I’m leaning toward him having cognitive schizophrenia or at least schizotypal personality disorder. Here’s what’s tripping me up, though: my colleague is completely obsessed with this imaginary woman—a lover, a future wife, a best friend. I haven't read anything about this kind of fixation on someone who doesn't exist, especially when he describes her personality in such vivid detail. It actually gives me the creeps. Everything I've studied focuses on the usual stuff, like paranoia or hearing voices, but not this.

Does this type of illness involve these kinds of fantasies or abstractions? Or am I totally off base here? I want to help, but I don't want to misdiagnose him or push him toward the wrong kind of professional help.

Thanks for any insight you can give me.

I honestly don't get why you're trying to play psychiatrist and start handing out diagnoses when you aren't trained for it—and let's be real, none of us are. We already talked about this in the last thread; it’s not a joke. He totally crossed the line and blew past any sense of professional boundaries or just being a decent colleague. My advice? Just report him to management. Or, if you're actually trying to help him out, reach out to a real psychiatrist, lay out what's happening, and ask for their professional take on the situation.

And why don't you all stop acting like amateur psychologists and just ask if the guy is lonely instead...
Given how eager you are to slap him with some label, I won't be surprised at all when it turns out he’s the office outcast...
Maybe he's talking to an imaginary friend, or maybe you guys just suck to him so much he's messing with you... Post this on a psychology forum if you want a real answer...

Jeremy Lee88 said:I posted a thread recently titled "Split Personality or...?" and today I feel fairly certain we are looking at cognitive schizophrenia or perhaps even schizotypal personality disorder. What’s really throwing me off regarding my first and final decision to refer this potential "client" to a doctor is how my colleague imagines these people—a mistress, a future wife, a friend... honestly, I haven't come across this kind of obsession with an imaginary person who has such incredibly detailed personalities; it actually gives me the creeps. Everything else I've encountered involves the standard fears of being watched, hearing voices, and things like that.

Do these kinds of fantasies or abstractions exist within these conditions? Or am I heading down the wrong path entirely? What can I do to ensure I don't lead my colleague toward a misdiagnosis?

Thanks for any insight.

Psychiatry is the one field of medicine where you simply cannot draw even a vague conclusion via Google. It requires a highly individualized approach for every single patient, and I believe discussions like this—intended to normalize psychiatric concepts—should be kept more concise.

As a specialist working directly in psychiatry, it pains me to see diagnoses being thrown around so casually, especially ones I haven't seen practiced in years.

Stop playing symptom guessing games.

Look at the bolded parts in your text. I'm honestly surprised you even found this place.

Eric Wright29 said:Look at the bolded part in your own post. I’m honestly surprised you even found this place.

Schizotypal disorder is a real thing (it's listed under F21 in the DSM), but the idea of a "cognitive type" of schizophrenia? That's just... whatever. Trying to diagnose a psychiatric condition by Googling stuff... SERIOUSLY😲..Just because psychiatry doesn't work quite like other medical fields doesn't mean anyone can just wing it... I mean, nobody thinks they should just start performing their own appendectomy, right..? It's the same deal with psychiatry... it isn't exactly a field where a "DIY" approach works well.. maybe it used to seem that way when things were minor, sure, but once it gets serious, you find a decent doctor. Don't just Google your way to a "solution"

Robin Brown56 said:Schizoaffective disorder is a legitimate diagnosis (listed under F21 in the DSM), but this idea of a "cognitive type" of schizophrenia? Please. Trying to self-diagnose psychiatric conditions by Googling them... SERIOUSLY?😲Just because the process for reaching a psychiatric diagnosis looks different than in other medical fields doesn't mean anyone can just wing it. It’s not like someone would think to perform their own appendectomy, right? Psychiatry isn't exactly an "easy DIY" field, despite how it might seem sometimes. If you're dealing with minor stuff, fine, but once things get heavy, find a real doctor instead of searching for a "fix" on Google..

I recognize the terms she used in her post. But honestly, that's my issue here. I have no clue where this kid got the idea that these specific illnesses were what they were dealing with. People spend years honing the skill of diagnosing psychiatric patients, only to have the general public try to do it via a search engine. Long live Google!