Patrick

Patrick said:

Also, I doubt it has anything to do with drug usage. We do all of the same drugs (ie weed and cigarettes) and we mostly do them at the same time, so he's not taking in something I wouldn't also have in my system.

Drugs don't affect everyone in exactly the same way; it would be absurd to think they do. Cannabis use can induce paranoia, you might want to see if you can get him to stop that at least.

I'm not saying that's the only cause; it almost certainly isn't. But I doubt it's going to help.

GreyGhost said:

I agree with Quast. Hard as it may be to do, "betraying" your friend to people who can treat his disorder is probably the best way you can help him as a friend.

I agree with this as well. You feel like you're "betraying" him, but what else are you going to do? Try to reason with him? Not likely to be effective if he really is mentally ill. The best you can do is to get help for him, and hope that if/when he pulls through, he'll understand and forgive you.

Pretty much sounds like a textbook case of paranoid schizophrenia to me. The symptoms, the timing, etc., all match up. Paranoid schizophrenia tends to develop around the late teens to early 20s, and everything you've described is totally consistent with that.

But honestly, I'm no expert on the subject - I studied psychology in college, and my family has a history of mental illness, and that's really my only experience in matters like this. One thing I can say is that without a strong support network, your friend is pretty much destined for trouble. I'm sorry to hear about his family, because he pretty much needs family support in order to manage this situation. He desperately needs to see a doctor, and he desperately needs people around him to keep tabs on him, but it sounds like he's on his own, and that could mean serious trouble.

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