Schizophrenia - General Discussion

Larry Lewis said:Mark my words—once that psychosis finally breaks him, he’s going to be begging you to haul him off to a hospital. It’ll be a brutal recovery, a long, agonizing slog through the dark—and frankly, it’s all his own damn fault. He’s being incredibly foolish. He’s been through this exact cycle of psychotic breaks before, yet here we are again, watching him stubbornly refuse any kind of help. It’s self-sabotage at its finest, really—this refusal to accept assistance even when the walls are closing in. He's digging his own grave, and quite honestly, I've seen this movie before.

This whole state of mind has been dragging on for months. I feel pretty clueless myself—maybe because I keep telling myself this is just how the illness works and some symptoms are always there, or maybe I'm just misinterpreting his usual weird personality 😬. But lately, the paranoia has started creeping back in. That's a huge red flag. 🤷

It's scary. It's like watching someone transform into a completely different person. 🤷

He has a check-up coming up soon, but I just have to hold it together so I don't lose my mind dealing with his constant attacks. 😱

And then there's me, being an idiot and making things worse by picking fights with him about it. It never ends well. From here on out, I’m just going to ignore the nonsense, though I did manage to talk him into going to the doctor.

Is he always untrustworthy and difficult? Yeah, absolutely. But right now, he’s actually crossed the line of sanity. This disease is brutal...

Jesus, the projections are the worst part. I'll be talking to a friend who’s in college, and he'll suddenly start calling me stupid for no reason at all, probably because of his own issues. 😱 Or if I give him a compliment about something he's actually insecure about, he just starts attacking me. Right now, it feels like I'm raising a toddler.

Michelle Evans said:I never mentioned forced treatment, nor am I saying emergency services are synonymous with it. Please, try reading more carefully before jumping in with a condescending comment that misses my point entirely.

The math is simple: he refuses help + calls 911 when things go south = forced treatment.

I know guys like this personally because—let’s be real—I used to be one of them. Just totally losing my mind, hitting a breaking point, but acting like, "Nah, I'm fine, I don't need anyone's help." Honestly? Looking back, I’m actually glad I ended up in the psych ward against my will back then. It was exactly what I needed.

Can someone give me a quick breakdown of what a schizophrenic episode actually looks like? I have BPD, but when I was sitting there with my psychiatrist, I kept most of this to myself... He prescribed me some > and >. Honestly, antidepressants don't do squat for me—they don't help at all—whereas Risperdal, which is an antipsychotic, noticeably shuts down all those unreal fantasies running through my head. I don't deal with auditory or visual hallucinations, but my brain just won't shut up; it creates these intense trips where I’m everything I want to be, even though I'm not that person in the real world. When I'm in that headspace, it feels like I'm totally losing touch with reality. It gets so intense that I'll catch myself pacing around the house for no reason at all. Once one of these episodes finally breaks, I feel like a walking corpse and the depression just hits me like a ton of bricks.

Larry Barrett2 said:Can someone give me a quick breakdown of what a schizophrenic episode actually looks like? I have BPD, but when I was sitting there with my psychiatrist, I kept most of this to myself... He prescribed me some > and >. Honestly, antidepressants don't do squat for me—they don't help at all—whereas Risperdal, which is an antipsychotic, noticeably shuts down all those unreal fantasies running through my head. I don't deal with auditory or visual hallucinations, but my brain just won't shut up; it creates these intense trips where I’m everything I want to be, even though I'm not that person in the real world. When I'm in that headspace, it feels like I'm totally losing touch with reality. It gets so intense that I'll catch myself pacing around the house for no reason at all. Once one of these episodes finally breaks, I feel like a walking corpse and the depression just hits me like a ton of bricks.

Take a moment to scroll through this thread or just do a quick Google search on the symptoms—it might give you some perspective. Otherwise, look, speaking as someone who has been working in the mental health field for a long time—I can tell you right off the bat that your mental health is definitely compromised. That’s just my initial take. Of course, doctors have their own way of gauging the extent of things, but at the end of the day, you’re the only one who truly knows the full picture of what's going on inside your own head.

Is anyone else losing their mind here??? Look, I haven’t posted an update on my son’s condition in quite a while, but I am seriously reaching my breaking point. Honestly, I feel like I want to strangle someone right now, I just don't even know who...
He was hospitalized recently, and they put him on a monthly depot dose of Haldol 300 mg. Well, he got out, things went south immediately, and after being home for only five days, he ended up back in the hospital. This time, the doctor decided to swap the 300 mg Haldol for 200 mg every two weeks instead. He came home... and it has been pure hell ever since. Up until now, he’s only dealt with auditory hallucinations, but now he’s seeing things too, not to mention these terrifying panic attacks. He keeps obsessively claiming he has a brain tumor and that today is his last day alive, then he breaks down crying like a little kid.
We went to the clinic today and got absolutely nothing. We just came home. The doctor barely said a word to us; it was like he was holding back, preventing him from actually expressing his fears... or maybe those fears were coming from voices telling him to stay quiet? I couldn't tell.
I can simply see him spiraling further every single day. It honestly feels like the medication is making everything worse, and I have no idea what to think. I don't know how to fight this, and I don't know how to help him. Since he's still under court-ordered treatment, we aren't even allowed to seek outside help because the state services block our every move. They won't let a private doctor make any adjustments at all. I hate this entire corrupt healthcare system in America. I'm actually thinking about reaching out to a civil rights organization (the World Bank).
Does anyone have any advice or ideas? I am completely desperate and feeling so incredibly alone...

Can anyone tell me if they’ve dealt with this before? Does anyone know if it's actually possible for Haldol to cause hallucinations?
My son is 22. He was completely resistant to Risperdal and Invega, and then Zyprexa triggered malignant neuroleptic syndrome in him, so we had to stop that immediately. Now he's on Haldol, and honestly, things are just getting worse and worse...

David Vaughn75 said:The math is simple: he refuses help + calls 911 when things go south = forced treatment.

I know guys like this personally because—let’s be real—I used to be one of them. Just totally losing my mind, hitting a breaking point, but acting like, "Nah, I'm fine, I don't need anyone's help." Honestly? Looking back, I’m actually glad I ended up in the psych ward against my will back then. It was exactly what I needed.

Of course, those aren't the same thing.
Ultimately, a judge decides on involuntary commitment after reviewing an evaluation from a court-appointed expert who isn't employed by the facility where the patient is being admitted. It’s a formal process, and it doesn't happen nearly as often as people think...

Go ask the staff at a major metropolitan hospital like Bellevue how they handle alcoholics brought in by paramedics and police against their will. (Hint: they let them go as soon as they sober up.) Even if the family is pushing hard to have them held...

If a judge wasn't involved, you weren't under involuntary commitment. If a judge was involved, then you were, but that has nothing to do with how you arrived at the psychiatric ward—whether via an ambulance (like what was suggested to vividorca9 regarding her partner) or through a follow-up with a psychiatrist who noticed symptoms worsening...

I’d suggest doing a little research on this. There’s plenty of info in the PDF here regarding commitment institutions, and you can find the Privacy Act online. I’m saying this with good intentions; I think anyone struggling should know exactly what legal rights they have...
Or don't, if you prefer.
But if you choose not to, please don't spread misinformation claiming an ER visit is the same as forced commitment. It just fuels existing stigmas against psychiatry and makes people afraid to seek professional help. I see this mistake in the PDF all the time...

Michelle Evans said:Of course, those aren't the same thing.
Ultimately, a judge decides on involuntary commitment after reviewing an evaluation from a court-appointed expert who isn't employed by the facility where the patient is being admitted. It’s a formal process, and it doesn't happen nearly as often as people think...

Go ask the staff at a major metropolitan hospital like Bellevue how they handle alcoholics brought in by paramedics and police against their will. (Hint: they let them go as soon as they sober up.) Even if the family is pushing hard to have them held...

If a judge wasn't involved, you weren't under involuntary commitment. If a judge was involved, then you were, but that has nothing to do with how you arrived at the psychiatric ward—whether via an ambulance (like what was suggested to vividorca9 regarding her partner) or through a follow-up with a psychiatrist who noticed symptoms worsening...

I’d suggest doing a little research on this. There’s plenty of info in the PDF here regarding commitment institutions, and you can find the Privacy Act online. I’m saying this with good intentions; I think anyone struggling should know exactly what legal rights they have...
Or don't, if you prefer.
But if you choose not to, please don't spread misinformation claiming an ER visit is the same as forced commitment. It just fuels existing stigmas against psychiatry and makes people afraid to seek professional help. I see this mistake in the PDF all the time...

That whole court-appointed expert thing is a total joke. They just ask doctors to testify, and everyone ends up backing up whatever my doctor says even if they don't know a damn thing about me—some of them haven't even laid eyes on me!

And then the court expert asks the patient two quick questions and suddenly everything is crystal clear. 🙄

But look, to be totally blunt, sometimes it’s the only way to handle things, and I’m actually glad it worked out that way.

I’ve been diagnosed with a condition similar to schizophrenia—F21.

David Vaughn75 said:That whole court-appointed expert thing is a total joke. They just ask doctors to testify, and everyone ends up backing up whatever my doctor says even if they don't know a damn thing about me—some of them haven't even laid eyes on me!

And then the court expert asks the patient two quick questions and suddenly everything is crystal clear. 🙄

But look, to be totally blunt, sometimes it’s the only way to handle things, and I’m actually glad it worked out that way.

I really don't understand how people can underestimate how hard it is to spot someone in psychosis. Honestly, if you've dealt with someone in that state before, recognizing it isn't exactly rocket science... 🤷 As long as they have some experience with it.
Professionals probably find it even easier...

But to be perfectly blunt, sometimes that’s the only way, and I'm glad it worked out that way.

Well, then I still don't quite get why you jumped in when I asked vividorca9 about emergency care, only to follow up with comments about the "only" solution. To me, taking action is the only real answer, rather than waiting for things to resolve themselves or for the situation to stabilize. Because it won't... Not to mention the humanitarian aspect.
If you think there are other ways, you could have shared them instead of just using a coffee emoji—it might have actually helped someone. You still have the chance... 🤷

analogheron7 said:I’ve been diagnosed with a condition similar to schizophrenia—F21.

analogheron7, there’s a thread dedicated to that right here.
click.
It isn't super active, so I'm not sure how much help you'll find...

Michelle Evans said:I really don't understand how people can underestimate how hard it is to spot someone in psychosis. Honestly, if you've dealt with someone in that state before, recognizing it isn't exactly rocket science... 🤷 As long as they have some experience with it.
Professionals probably find it even easier...

But to be perfectly blunt, sometimes that’s the only way, and I'm glad it worked out that way.

Well, then I still don't quite get why you jumped in when I asked vividorca9 about emergency care, only to follow up with comments about the "only" solution. To me, taking action is the only real answer, rather than waiting for things to resolve themselves or for the situation to stabilize. Because it won't... Not to mention the humanitarian aspect.
If you think there are other ways, you could have shared them instead of just using a coffee emoji—it might have actually helped someone. You still have the chance... 🤷

All I was trying to point out is that these forensic evaluations are basically just a rubber stamp. It’s a total joke—the evaluator isn't even really "evaluating" anything; they just ask the psychiatrist, "Hey, what number should I write down?" I'm not saying the process is useless, but it's ridiculous how someone can have a 60-second chat and suddenly decide a patient needs 30 or 90 days of treatment.

Okay, then I still don't get why you jumped down my throat when I asked vividorca9 about calling 911 and then made that little side comment about there being "only one" solution. For me, that *is* the only way—you can't just sit around waiting for things to fix themselves or for the crisis to pass. Because let's be real, it won't. And don't even get me started on the humanity of it all.

I don't know what you saw as me "jumping" at you, but I was just laying out how the law actually works here. Just because someone is psychotic doesn't mean they get hauled off to the hospital against their will—it only happens if they're a danger to themselves or others (self-harm, suicide attempts, smashing stuff, getting aggressive, etc.). In my experience, things almost always escalate to that level 99% of the time, which is why I told vividorca9 to call 911 once it hits that point. In this specific situation, I truly believe forced hospitalization is the only move left.

Nobody mentioned hospitalization. ☕ This dear partner of mine (affectionately, don't get me wrong) can be cold and rude sometimes, but he’s never been aggressive toward himself or anyone else.

Is manipulation part of the illness? What about lying? Because once you actually get to know him, he turns out to be a total sociopath. I'm really hoping it's just the sickness talking. 🤷

Then he just picks fights with me out of nowhere. Today, he felt the need to try and outsmart me intellectually, just for the hell of it.

I don't know, I've started getting gray hairs. 🤷Literally. I've been through the wringer over the last few years. 🤷

And then, every so often, this beautiful, sensitive side surfaces—usually when he feels he can trust me—and you realize what a lovely person he actually is and how much help he needs. Which is exactly what we're going to arrange soon. And there will be absolutely no talk of forced hospitalization. 🤷

I've never been like this, but I'm becoming paranoid and distrustful right along with him. And jealous. It just becomes this endless cycle... At least I have a reason to be suspicious and paranoid, since he's constantly sneaking things behind my back. It's a proven fact.

I would really appreciate it if someone could tell me that he's incapable of understanding when you say, "Enough, I'm at my breaking point, I've been through so much lately, please don't make this harder on me too." You can throw stones at me all you want, but my capacity for empathy is running dry. And I'm not sure any medication can fix that.

The jealousy, the nitpicking, the secrecy... Is it always going to be like this?

Because I don't want to be a piece of trash and bail when someone is at their lowest. But when someone is draining you dry and they have a family (who, by the way, refuse to learn about his condition because they think it's some kind of embarrassment) and a support system, while I have absolutely zero support, then...

EDIT: And he's abusive. Really hurtful. He even told me that I don't actually have a mental illness and that I'm just faking symptoms (even though I've been battling BPD since I was 15 or 16) just so I could find someone exactly like him (when he was actually the one who approached me).

vividorca9, I was just reading over what you wrote... Are we talking about your husband here, or are you guys not even married? (I’m a bit confused by that part where you mention gray hair popping up—makes me think you might still be pretty young).
Manipulation, lying, keeping secrets, paranoia, indifference, coldness, jealousy rooted in feeling inferior... these are all red flags. It's a sickness. You either accept him as he is or you walk away. He isn't going to change; if he's been stuck in a psychosis for this long, it's likely baked right into his personality at this point. What seems absurd to you might be totally normal to him. You have to take him with everything he brings to the table—including the stuff he hasn't even done yet, which could lead to some pretty nasty surprises for you. And honestly? Your anger isn't helping him. All you're doing is making an already impossible situation even worse.
Psychosis is a wild horse you can't tame... just remember that!! Don't go thinking you can save him if it's not something he actually wants for himself. You can't help anyone against their own will.
There's a lot more to unpack here... shoot me a DM.
Take care!!

briskcyclist40 said:vividorca9, I was just reading over what you wrote... Are we talking about your husband here, or are you guys not even married? (I’m a bit confused by that part where you mention gray hair popping up—makes me think you might still be pretty young).
Manipulation, lying, keeping secrets, paranoia, indifference, coldness, jealousy rooted in feeling inferior... these are all red flags. It's a sickness. You either accept him as he is or you walk away. He isn't going to change; if he's been stuck in a psychosis for this long, it's likely baked right into his personality at this point. What seems absurd to you might be totally normal to him. You have to take him with everything he brings to the table—including the stuff he hasn't even done yet, which could lead to some pretty nasty surprises for you. And honestly? Your anger isn't helping him. All you're doing is making an already impossible situation even worse.
Psychosis is a wild horse you can't tame... just remember that!! Don't go thinking you can save him if it's not something he actually wants for himself. You can't help anyone against their own will.
There's a lot more to unpack here... shoot me a DM.
Take care!!

Why is there always this constant stigma?
It isn't his fault that he's experiencing psychosis. If he goes to a hospital and gets the right treatment, things could turn out perfectly fine. Psychosis isn't some permanent sentence—we have excellent doctors and effective medications now. It's an acute state that can be managed with proper care.

It's exactly because of people who view us as some kind of lost causes—people whose lives are just too much of a burden to deal with—that life becomes so difficult.
Just tell me: how would you feel if someone you loved was diagnosed with a malignant tumor, and then someone had the nerve to write to you saying you should just abandon them because they'll die soon anyway? That they shouldn't bother staying by their side because it's "too much work" and will only negatively impact your own life?

The check-up is almost over, but I really have to hold it together so I don't lose my mind dealing with all this constant attacking.

I’m just as crazy as anyone else—if I start arguing with him about this stuff, it never ends well. I’m going to try ignoring it from now on, but at least I managed to talk him into actually showing up for the appointment.

And yeah, he’s always been untrustworthy and difficult. It’s true. But right now? He’s seriously crossed the line of common sense. This disease is just heavy...

Jesus, the projections are the absolute worst part. I was talking to a friend of mine who's in college, and I think he's got some deep-seated complexes because out of nowhere, he starts telling me I'm stupid for no reason. Or if I compliment him on something that actually bothers him personally, he just starts attacking me. Honestly, it feels like I'm dealing with a toddler right now.

Larry Lewis, believe me, this isn't about stigma. Do you honestly think this behavior is helping him? I don't even want to imagine what the communication is like between those two young people...

Look, I’m sorry if my comments rubbed you the wrong way, but I have zero interest in playing politically correct when it comes to stuff I have to deal with on a daily basis.

I'll just stop posting then. 🤷

briskcyclist40 said:The check-up is almost over, but I really have to hold it together so I don't lose my mind dealing with all this constant attacking.

I’m just as crazy as anyone else—if I start arguing with him about this stuff, it never ends well. I’m going to try ignoring it from now on, but at least I managed to talk him into actually showing up for the appointment.

And yeah, he’s always been untrustworthy and difficult. It’s true. But right now? He’s seriously crossed the line of common sense. This disease is just heavy...

Jesus, the projections are the absolute worst part. I was talking to a friend of mine who's in college, and I think he's got some deep-seated complexes because out of nowhere, he starts telling me I'm stupid for no reason. Or if I compliment him on something that actually bothers him personally, he just starts attacking me. Honestly, it feels like I'm dealing with a toddler right now.

Larry Lewis, believe me, this isn't about stigma. Do you honestly think this behavior is helping him? I don't even want to imagine what the communication is like between those two young people...

The reality is, he's in a state of psychosis and requires medical intervention. His current condition isn't a life sentence—having a diagnosis doesn't mean you're "crazy" forever (if you'll excuse my choice of words). I keep saying this: there are plenty of people living with schizophrenia whom you would never suspect because they've managed their treatment so effectively.

I know how hard this is for vividorca9—I remember clearly when I was going through my own psychotic episode, and God, how difficult I was to be around... absolutely insufferable. But I'm not that person anymore because I take my treatment seriously.
He simply needs to get under professional care, otherwise, things are only going to spiral downward for both of them.
I know she's completely exhausted and has nothing left to give; honestly, it might be best if she distances herself from him, at least temporarily, while he's in this acute phase of the illness.

I just wanted to make it clear: having a diagnosis doesn't mean you've lost your mind for good.

vividorca9 said:Look, I’m sorry if my comments rubbed you the wrong way, but I have zero interest in playing politically correct when it comes to stuff I have to deal with on a daily basis.

I'll just stop posting then. 🤷

Don't be an idiot. The guy is in the middle of a psychotic break, plain and simple; there's no room for "correctness" in a situation like that. Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I'd tell you to get as far away from him as possible—dealing with someone in that state is an absolute nightmare, especially since you've got your own baggage to carry. There's no profound wisdom here, just reality.

All I was trying to point out—and clearly, I've missed the mark—is that having a psychotic diagnosis doesn't automatically make someone a monster or a lost cause!

Did I ever mention that you all are absolutely insane and terrible? Do I really need to bold the sensitive, beautiful, and brilliant part I just pointed out? And the creative part?