Schizophrenia - General Discussion

Larry Lewis, I’ve said it before—just because someone thinks they’re being funny doesn't mean it actually lands as "ha ha" hilarious.
Look, I get it—as an outsider looking in at someone else's life through a series of forum posts, I might be totally off base—but the way you approach your own situation and life in general comes across to me as... I don't know, optimistic? You have this sense of humor and, if you really want to call it that, actual spirit.
Honestly, I think your perspective is probably your most valuable contribution to this whole forum. So, thanks for that. Anyway, I'm off to go spam somewhere else now. 🙂

Oh, look at her acting all wise. :ganuta:

If I could articulate my thoughts quite as elegantly as you just did, I’d say you practically snatched the words right out from under my fingers. Since I can't, I'll just say you perfectly captured everything I was trying to say...

Larry Lewis said:Listen, I get it—really, I do—but back when I was flying solo and completely off my meds, I once split a 5mg Xanax into quarters during one of those deep, dark psychotic episodes. And honestly? That tiny little quarter was enough to take the edge off immediately. It was palpable.

So, what I’m saying is, if things are hitting rock bottom and you need an ambulance, any psychiatric med is going to provide some level of relief.

EDIT: I remember one time, right at the absolute peak of a breakdown, I called 911 to come get me. Can you believe it? I actually told them my full diagnosis and everything—they almost didn't laugh, though God knows they wanted to—and then I ended up having to call an Uber just to get myself to the psych ward at Bellevue... you truly cannot make this stuff up.

Unfortunately, based on what I've seen and heard myself... I can believe it. 🙄

I really want to thank you ladies—honestly, I feel like a total jerk for being so cocky earlier, and I truly owe you an apology.

But look, since we’re going to nitpick my choice of words—and since I’ve actually been a fan of yours since before you all stepped into those moderator roles—I have to say, you’ve consistently offered such solid advice and genuinely thoughtful perspectives over the years. It's rare to see such a class act online.

In fact, if any of you ever decides to pursue a career as a psychiatrist, consider this my official application to be one of your patients.🙂

There is something I really shouldn't be sharing, but I suppose I have to. About a week ago, while I was still inpatient at the hospital, I developed this intense, irrational craving to eat raw organs. The doctor was actually encouraging my nutrition, telling me to eat up, but once we finally stepped outside for some fresh air and a walk, things took a turn. I was just sitting there in the courtyard when a Twitter bird flew too close, and before I knew it, I lunged. I actually managed to catch it, though unfortunately, I ended up eating it. Of course, the doctors rushed over immediately to calm me down and they had to take me back inside the facility. Now, they've put me on a new medication, and I must say, it makes me incredibly drowsy; everything feels quite slow and heavy. I felt the need to share this with everyone here because, frankly, I have no one else to talk to. It seems everyone looks at me like I'm some kind of serial killer, but I assure you, I am just an ordinary man—perhaps just slightly different from the rest of you.🙂

Arthur Scott5 said:There is something I really shouldn't be sharing, but I suppose I have to. About a week ago, while I was still inpatient at the hospital, I developed this intense, irrational craving to eat raw organs. The doctor was actually encouraging my nutrition, telling me to eat up, but once we finally stepped outside for some fresh air and a walk, things took a turn. I was just sitting there in the courtyard when a Twitter bird flew too close, and before I knew it, I lunged. I actually managed to catch it, though unfortunately, I ended up eating it. Of course, the doctors rushed over immediately to calm me down and they had to take me back inside the facility. Now, they've put me on a new medication, and I must say, it makes me incredibly drowsy; everything feels quite slow and heavy. I felt the need to share this with everyone here because, frankly, I have no one else to talk to. It seems everyone looks at me like I'm some kind of serial killer, but I assure you, I am just an ordinary man—perhaps just slightly different from the rest of you.🙂

Perhaps this drowsiness will eventually fade, and hopefully, the medication will help you achieve as normal a life as possible.

Arthur Scott5 said:There is something I really shouldn't be sharing, but I suppose I have to. About a week ago, while I was still inpatient at the hospital, I developed this intense, irrational craving to eat raw organs. The doctor was actually encouraging my nutrition, telling me to eat up, but once we finally stepped outside for some fresh air and a walk, things took a turn. I was just sitting there in the courtyard when a Twitter bird flew too close, and before I knew it, I lunged. I actually managed to catch it, though unfortunately, I ended up eating it. Of course, the doctors rushed over immediately to calm me down and they had to take me back inside the facility. Now, they've put me on a new medication, and I must say, it makes me incredibly drowsy; everything feels quite slow and heavy. I felt the need to share this with everyone here because, frankly, I have no one else to talk to. It seems everyone looks at me like I'm some kind of serial killer, but I assure you, I am just an ordinary man—perhaps just slightly different from the rest of you.🙂

Jesus Christ, superstar.😲
While you are in the hospital, the treatment will be more intense than usual because you are under supervision... hopefully, anyway, you should be.
Until things settle down a bit, you're dealing with a bad episode until you hit rock bottom.
Regardless of how unsettling it sounds for a Small town in the Midwest 😍 it is a standard consequence of the disorder.
Things will stabilize very soon and return to some sort of normalcy, and then you can go home.
I cannot quite grasp how you allowed yourself to end up in such a situation?
Stick to the therapy, and you will also have to attend those regular "workshops"—the check-ups—at the hospital where you are currently staying, and all of that combined should produce results.
Yes, once the illness retreats to those "hidden places within the body"... you aren't any different from the rest of us.😉

I suppose I didn't truly grasp the gravity of my actions until I had quite literally torn the head off a Twitter bird with my own teeth. It wasn't until my mouth was absolutely drenched in blood and... well, everything else, that I finally vomited and broke down into tears. I honestly don't know what is happening to me, but there is this constant, nagging urge to consume organs—and lately, the craving for human ones has become increasingly intense. It scares me deeply. Now, I just spend all my time lying around, drifting in and out of sleep like some sort of zombie. I am desperately hoping that I will be allowed home by Christmas; I really don't want to end up like Billy from that movie Black Christmas. Mentally speaking, I feel quite similar to him... I can only hope they let me go home soon.

🤔

I had intended to start a thread, but I decided against it. If you happen to see a new topic appearing under my name, please believe me when I say it wasn't me. 🤣
Anyway... I am currently in contact with someone dealing with a very specific psychological disorder.
It looks something like this—a cocktail of schizoaffective disorder and paranoid schizophrenia.
The catch? The illness hasn't been identified, nor is any kind of diagnosis even being considered; in fact, bringing up such a thing is completely off the table. Not even a conversation about it.
There are persecutory delusions, delusions of grandeur, or perhaps a combination of both, often punctuated by bouts of extreme aggression—truly violent outbursts.
And then there are those irrational ideas stemming from the aforementioned issues (essentially projecting one's own perceived importance onto society).
What is fascinating is that their intelligence remains intact, as does their affect and speech patterns.
Regarding the schizoaffective aspect, I can't quite pin down anything extraordinary, aside from perhaps some disorganized thinking or paranoia bleeding into delusional thoughts.
No hallucinations. Mood swings? Hmm... I suspect they exist, though I cannot say for certain.
The issue is that the phases of depression and euphoria don't alternate in the typical way; it isn't bipolar.

All of this is, admittedly, in a very early stage, yet the framework of the entire situation is starting to take shape.
I see what is happening, but I remain silent. I have absolutely no intention of trying to convince anyone that exactly what I am describing is taking place.
What should be done?
Do I simply turn away and let time eventually confirm the illness, or do I speak up and risk a total severance of our connection?
It is simple, really... I just don't know what to do.

Kevin Nguyen3 said:🤔

I had intended to start a thread, but I decided against it. If you happen to see a new topic appearing under my name, please believe me when I say it wasn't me. 🤣
Anyway... I am currently in contact with someone dealing with a very specific psychological disorder.
It looks something like this—a cocktail of schizoaffective disorder and paranoid schizophrenia.
The catch? The illness hasn't been identified, nor is any kind of diagnosis even being considered; in fact, bringing up such a thing is completely off the table. Not even a conversation about it.
There are persecutory delusions, delusions of grandeur, or perhaps a combination of both, often punctuated by bouts of extreme aggression—truly violent outbursts.
And then there are those irrational ideas stemming from the aforementioned issues (essentially projecting one's own perceived importance onto society).
What is fascinating is that their intelligence remains intact, as does their affect and speech patterns.
Regarding the schizoaffective aspect, I can't quite pin down anything extraordinary, aside from perhaps some disorganized thinking or paranoia bleeding into delusional thoughts.
No hallucinations. Mood swings? Hmm... I suspect they exist, though I cannot say for certain.
The issue is that the phases of depression and euphoria don't alternate in the typical way; it isn't bipolar.

All of this is, admittedly, in a very early stage, yet the framework of the entire situation is starting to take shape.
I see what is happening, but I remain silent. I have absolutely no intention of trying to convince anyone that exactly what I am describing is taking place.
What should be done?
Do I simply turn away and let time eventually confirm the illness, or do I speak up and risk a total severance of our connection?
It is simple, really... I just don't know what to do.

Look, in 99% of cases, people dealing with psychosis don't think they're psychotic—they think everyone else is just an idiot who hasn't caught on yet. You can try to talk sense into them, but honestly, you're just whistling in the wind☕ . And hey, look, you *can* try, because when it comes to psychosis, the rule is usually that the earlier the treatment starts, the better the shot at recovery. If you let it drag on too long, the personality fractures so deeply there’s no coming back. Now, if the person isn't having full-blown hallucinations and their cognitive skills aren't tanking, it might be a milder version, but those "mild" types are the ones who will never, ever admit they're sick.

The biggest mistake you can make is trying to prove they're wrong. They always have "proof." Like, if they see a neighbor sitting at a Starbucks, that's "proof" that the neighbor is bugging them. There's just no winning that argument, because they physically cannot stop thinking the thoughts they're thinking, even if they wanted to.

When people hit a psychotic break, they lose that adult maturity and revert to being incredibly childish, so that old-school reward/punishment system always works perfectly.😉

Kevin Nguyen3 said:🤔

I had intended to start a thread, but I decided against it. If you happen to see a new topic appearing under my name, please believe me when I say it wasn't me. 🤣
Anyway... I am currently in contact with someone dealing with a very specific psychological disorder.
It looks something like this—a cocktail of schizoaffective disorder and paranoid schizophrenia.
The catch? The illness hasn't been identified, nor is any kind of diagnosis even being considered; in fact, bringing up such a thing is completely off the table. Not even a conversation about it.
There are persecutory delusions, delusions of grandeur, or perhaps a combination of both, often punctuated by bouts of extreme aggression—truly violent outbursts.
And then there are those irrational ideas stemming from the aforementioned issues (essentially projecting one's own perceived importance onto society).
What is fascinating is that their intelligence remains intact, as does their affect and speech patterns.
Regarding the schizoaffective aspect, I can't quite pin down anything extraordinary, aside from perhaps some disorganized thinking or paranoia bleeding into delusional thoughts.
No hallucinations. Mood swings? Hmm... I suspect they exist, though I cannot say for certain.
The issue is that the phases of depression and euphoria don't alternate in the typical way; it isn't bipolar.

All of this is, admittedly, in a very early stage, yet the framework of the entire situation is starting to take shape.
I see what is happening, but I remain silent. I have absolutely no intention of trying to convince anyone that exactly what I am describing is taking place.
What should be done?
Do I simply turn away and let time eventually confirm the illness, or do I speak up and risk a total severance of our connection?
It is simple, really... I just don't know what to do.

If I were you, I'd speak up and risk the fallout. Because if you don't warn them, you'll end up wondering why you stayed silent later. Sure, telling them might blow up the relationship, but then again, maybe someone will thank you down the road for being honest. It's your call.

Brandon Newman95 said:If I were you, I'd speak up and risk the fallout. Because if you don't warn them, you'll end up wondering why you stayed silent later. Sure, telling them might blow up the relationship, but then again, maybe someone will thank you down the road for being honest. It's your call.

So, what we have here is a person whose behavior swings wildly from pure euphoria to intense guilt and remorse. But—and this is the crucial part—he does it in such a way that anyone caught off guard would never even dream of linking his illness to his actions. Does that make sense?
Furthermore, he is constantly searching for someone else to blame, yet somehow, he never views himself as the source of the problem. How can one be so blind?
He grants himself the liberty to say whatever crosses his mind, choosing his words with zero regard for the person listening. He simply doesn't care about the consequences. Not one bit.
And another thing... he's completely indifferent to whether or not he preserves a friendship.
Being his friend carries weight only as long as his own interests are being served. The moment he steps away from his own idealized version of friendship, that person becomes entirely disposable to him. Is that not chilling?
Every suggestion, every piece of advice, every helpful recommendation is met with nothing but condescension, because in his own mind, he is above it all—a sort of superman... yet, the cold reality remains that he cannot control even the most mundane things in life.
It is a heavy, tangled mess of a situation.
No matter how I look at it, there is no right way out.

Kevin Nguyen3 said:So, what we have here is a person whose behavior swings wildly from pure euphoria to intense guilt and remorse. But—and this is the crucial part—he does it in such a way that anyone caught off guard would never even dream of linking his illness to his actions. Does that make sense?
Furthermore, he is constantly searching for someone else to blame, yet somehow, he never views himself as the source of the problem. How can one be so blind?
He grants himself the liberty to say whatever crosses his mind, choosing his words with zero regard for the person listening. He simply doesn't care about the consequences. Not one bit.
And another thing... he's completely indifferent to whether or not he preserves a friendship.
Being his friend carries weight only as long as his own interests are being served. The moment he steps away from his own idealized version of friendship, that person becomes entirely disposable to him. Is that not chilling?
Every suggestion, every piece of advice, every helpful recommendation is met with nothing but condescension, because in his own mind, he is above it all—a sort of superman... yet, the cold reality remains that he cannot control even the most mundane things in life.
It is a heavy, tangled mess of a situation.
No matter how I look at it, there is no right way out.

Exactly. He might be grateful later, or you might find yourself cut off entirely—it's tough to call.
If it were me, I’d just say it and take the risk of losing contact. It’s a hard call to make, but I'm all for being honest and giving sincere advice.
Playing nice and being "sweetie-pie" isn't going to get you anywhere.

Brandon Newman95 said:Exactly. He might be grateful later, or you might find yourself cut off entirely—it's tough to call.
If it were me, I’d just say it and take the risk of losing contact. It’s a hard call to make, but I'm all for being honest and giving sincere advice.
Playing nice and being "sweetie-pie" isn't going to get you anywhere.

Well, honestly, I am waiting to see how he reacts, which will probably make everything much clearer.
I’m trying to find the right wording—some specific way to approach this without offending him, since he is a friend, yet still laying all my cards on the table.
I did mention the possibility once before, almost as if I was just worried about his well-being if he kept acting this way, but there was absolutely no reaction from him besides silence. Interestingly enough, the very next day he claimed there was no way such a thing could happen because he’s young and full of energy.
I told him, "You’re going to burn out eventually, man... nobody can maintain that kind of rhythm of hypocrisy and acting, lying and living a double life."
Aside from one passing, innocent glance, I didn't sense that even a single word actually registered with him.

I guess I don't quite understand why you're so obsessed with him, unless your main goal is just to label him as some kind of severe mental patient. Honestly, what would any of this actually achieve for him? If he’s working, he could literally lose his job over this whole situation. Look, if you can't stand who he hangs out with, maybe it's better if you just distance yourself instead of hovering—just let him live his life. You can't really know if he's about to have a breakdown or not. And even if he did, how exactly would you help? Just hand him three different prescriptions right this second and expect everything to magically fix itself? Maybe the reason he's acting out is because someone in his social circle is provoking him. I mean, I don't think you've even considered that possibility.

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Nezz, I have to tell you about what happened to me yesterday; it was honestly unsettling. I was out of my place for the weekend, and when I finally got back home last night, I was all by myself. Suddenly, I saw this shadow just glide through the hallway in the dark. I turned around, feeling this sudden chill run down my spine, but there was absolutely nobody there. This happened a few times within just an hour. Then, later that night, as I was trying to drift off, someone actually whispered "tomo" right in my ear. I jumped out of my skin, and then I heard something—some kind of heavy thudding—running down the stairs. To make matters worse, I woke up this morning and found this drawing on my desk that I don't even remember making. It’s some kind of twisted blueprint for slaughtering animals... anything living, really. I don't know, maybe I should start looking into stronger medication because I am genuinely starting to get scared...

mistyjackal842 said:I guess I don't quite understand why you're so obsessed with him, unless your main goal is just to label him as some kind of severe mental patient. Honestly, what would any of this actually achieve for him? If he’s working, he could literally lose his job over this whole situation. Look, if you can't stand who he hangs out with, maybe it's better if you just distance yourself instead of hovering—just let him live his life. You can't really know if he's about to have a breakdown or not. And even if he did, how exactly would you help? Just hand him three different prescriptions right this second and expect everything to magically fix itself? Maybe the reason he's acting out is because someone in his social circle is provoking him. I mean, I don't think you've even considered that possibility.

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I stated quite clearly that he is a friend of mine.
And when it comes to friends, one doesn't simply say, "What do I care?"
The truth of the matter is, nobody is forcing me to maintain these connections, but I choose to. I want to. We have been close for a long time; we navigated a significant chapter of our lives together.
I cannot just toss all of that aside and forget it exists.
I never claimed he needed three types of medication immediately; I am merely concerned about his well-being. He is married and living relatively well—it isn't a total crisis.
He works, and he is respected in his industry.
Of course, I cannot offer him concrete assistance—I am not some clairvoyant like Milan—but I can certainly tell him what I think based on my own experiences.
From my small circle of actual friends, and even my larger circle of acquaintances, no one has any particular desire to provoke him, yet he possesses this unquenchable urge to stir the pot with everyone around him.
And it often leads to arguments that occasionally border on physical altercations. He has been in a physical fight more than once.
I have given this a great deal of thought; I am not the kind of man who would just leave our lives to be dictated by random circumstances. Especially not mine.

mistyjackal842 said:I guess I don't quite understand why you're so obsessed with him, unless your main goal is just to label him as some kind of severe mental patient. Honestly, what would any of this actually achieve for him? If he’s working, he could literally lose his job over this whole situation. Look, if you can't stand who he hangs out with, maybe it's better if you just distance yourself instead of hovering—just let him live his life. You can't really know if he's about to have a breakdown or not. And even if he did, how exactly would you help? Just hand him three different prescriptions right this second and expect everything to magically fix itself? Maybe the reason he's acting out is because someone in his social circle is provoking him. I mean, I don't think you've even considered that possibility.

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Because the guy—meaning Kevin Nguyen3—is actually trying to help. Who said anything about labeling him mentally ill? There are plenty of people out there working through depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia and still finishing college without any issues at all.
And why on earth would he need three different kinds of medication?
Look, the man just wants advice. My advice? Tell him the truth. I've been burned way too many times by playing games or trying to sugarcoat things.

Kevin Nguyen3 said:I stated quite clearly that he is a friend of mine.
And when it comes to friends, one doesn't simply say, "What do I care?"
The truth of the matter is, nobody is forcing me to maintain these connections, but I choose to. I want to. We have been close for a long time; we navigated a significant chapter of our lives together.
I cannot just toss all of that aside and forget it exists.
I never claimed he needed three types of medication immediately; I am merely concerned about his well-being. He is married and living relatively well—it isn't a total crisis.
He works, and he is respected in his industry.
Of course, I cannot offer him concrete assistance—I am not some clairvoyant like Milan—but I can certainly tell him what I think based on my own experiences.
From my small circle of actual friends, and even my larger circle of acquaintances, no one has any particular desire to provoke him, yet he possesses this unquenchable urge to stir the pot with everyone around him.
And it often leads to arguments that occasionally border on physical altercations. He has been in a physical fight more than once.
I have given this a great deal of thought; I am not the kind of man who would just leave our lives to be dictated by random circumstances. Especially not mine.

Your intentions are good and they're honest, and if things end up going south despite your best efforts, that's not on you.

So, I have a friend who has essentially given up on everything. He’s dropped out of college several times, he isn't working, and he barely leaves his house. It’s becoming quite difficult to even stay in touch with him. He tells me that he feels like everyone is constantly staring at him—as if people are perpetually zooming in on him—and that this intense scrutiny makes him incredibly uncomfortable. It drains all his energy, making it nearly impossible for him to function in public. He tends to withdraw because he seems genuinely afraid of others; sometimes it feels like he only speaks just to avoid the silence. This has been going on for a long time now. Could this be a symptom of schizophrenia or something else? I feel like he really needs to see a private psychiatrist...

boldtiger31 said:So, I have a friend who has essentially given up on everything. He’s dropped out of college several times, he isn't working, and he barely leaves his house. It’s becoming quite difficult to even stay in touch with him. He tells me that he feels like everyone is constantly staring at him—as if people are perpetually zooming in on him—and that this intense scrutiny makes him incredibly uncomfortable. It drains all his energy, making it nearly impossible for him to function in public. He tends to withdraw because he seems genuinely afraid of others; sometimes it feels like he only speaks just to avoid the silence. This has been going on for a long time now. Could this be a symptom of schizophrenia or something else? I feel like he really needs to see a private psychiatrist...

Given the sheer volume of meaningful information provided here, we would all need to be psychics to actually figure out what's going on.
The kind of stuff you're describing could happen to anyone, even when they just have a bad case of the flu.
Just get him to agree to meet us for coffee for an hour... and he'll be back to his old self in no time.😁