I have a friend, 20 years old, who was working very hard.

But recently, we found him a bit different, and he keeps telling us that someone's going to kill him, and he tries to escape from any one who want to contact him.

Is that a sympton of schizophrenia? We're very afraid of that now ~~ :(

In the opinion of a lay person in such matters:

I would wonder if this may be "paranoia." I believe there may be a diagnosis of "paranoid schizophrenia," but I believe a mental health professional or psychiatrist would be a good resource for you on this question.

Another consideration: Is it possible that someone, indeed, is out to get your friend?

Paranoia can be a form of schizophrenia. Are there other mental health issues in his family? Has he been under a lot of stress?

There is no possible way to diagnose him over the internet as schizophrenia is a very layered illness with many many different symptoms. He will need to see a psychiatrist for a positive diagnosis and proper treatment.

Thanks, im4u and J9~

My friend's father is a little bit weird, who's easy to be out of mind, my friend's raised up in a depressed environment.

Poor guy he is, what I can do now is to cross my fingers for him. :(

Unfortunately, there is little if anything you can do for him. You can try to talk to him about getting some counseling. But unless he is a danger to himself or others, your hands are tied.

We are and will be trying our best to get him to doctors.

But, is it hard to recover from such sort of mental problem?

If he does indeed have schizophrenia, which I am in no way saying that he does, it is a lifelong ailment in which he will have to take medication for the rest of his life. Schizophrenia is not a disorder in which there is a cure.

He is at the age where schizophrenia makes its appearance in young people. It sounds to me like he is headed for a full-blown break with reality. Really, there is nothing you can do for him since he is already thinking that people are out to get him. But, I think it would be worth a try to attempt to talk him into going to a psychiatrist so he can "get some medicine to help him settle down and think clearly".

Perhaps, his mother and father can take him to an emergency room if his behavior gets more and more out of hand. If he is not at home, the police will take him to be evaluated if he is acting strangely out in public.

Seemingly, he hasn't got any ill-intention to hurt anybody. :(

People with schizophrenia don't always have the desire to hurt someone or themselves. They tend to be paranoid, or they have delusions wherein they think they are someone very important, the delusions are commonly religious. They hear voices and tend to see things that aren't there.

Some people say that schizophrenia's lack some of the B vitamins and essential fatty acid (fish oil) and some other vitamins and minerals.

Oh~~~

So, is it the same with the term "split personality"?

This whole thing is very interesting to me.. I've heard that people with this have had normal lives and then all of a sudden they hear voices, etc. Is it really like that? Can it happen to a person all of a sudden without warning? Or are you born with it and gradually it becomes worse? I'm not worried about myself getting it.. But just wondering. To the OP hope your friend is okay!

My friend and I have been known to each other for more than 5 years. Before, he was a little bit quite, like staying alone. However, we got well along with each other, and he was always ready to help others. All in all, he's a good man.

I don't know why he suddenly got in this situation, I really don't know~

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Originally Posted by cmc1985

This whole thing is very interesting to me..I've heard that people with this have had normal lives and then all of a sudden they hear voices, etc. Is it really like that? Can it happen to a person all of a sudden without warning? Or are you born with it and gradually it becomes worse? I'm not worried about myself getting it.. But just wondering. To the OP hope your friend is okay!

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Typically, people who have schizophrenia are loners throughout life. Usually there is no warning and a highly stressful situation can bring out the schizophrenic tendencies. Such as witnessing a murder for example.

Now, to get much deeper into the subject, there are 3 distinct forms of this disorder:

Schizoaffective Disorder is a disorder that not only affects the thought processes, but effects the moods as well. The person may seem bi-polar, yet have visual and/or auditory hallucinations.

Schizophrenaform Disorder is a form of schizophrenia that lasts 6 months or less.

Then you have full blown schizophrenia. Only a psychiatrist can diagnose and treat these disorders properly.

Schizophrenia is different from multiple personaility disorder.
Paranoia is a symptom of schizophrenia, but can occur for other reasons.
It's also possible for people to have psychotic episodes for brief periods, and to have it never re-occur.
The best thing to do is talk to your friend. Try to find out details of why he thinks someon is out to get him and what you can do to help.

All the best,
Kal

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Originally Posted by blueuniform

oh~~~

so, is it the same with the term "split personality"??

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Split personality, or MPD (multiple personality disorder) is different than schizophrenia and is much more rare. This usually occurs from a childhood trauma.