My boyfriend has recently become very paranoid about everything. He has thought that people in public are watching him simply because he has seen them before. He has also accused me of cheating on him many times even though he has no reason to believe so. He commonly accuses me of a bunch of different actions I have never committed. He has accused my family of drugging him with meth and he insist his body felt like he was being drugged. Is this schizophrenia? Is anyone else going through something similar? Coping techniques? I am really desperate here guys. Any help would be nice.
Does he hear voices, one can be paranoid without voices, but to have sz you have auditory or visual hallucinations such as hearing voices.
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Hello @logangillaspie
I just wanted to try and lend a hand. My oldest brother is diagnosed with Sz. My slightly older brother is diagnosed with Bipolar 1. It’s surprising to me that some of the symptoms are similar.
I’m not sure where to begin with this one, because there are many things that can cause your boyfriends behavior. It’s not just schizophrenia that can also cause symptoms. Other illnesses can look like Sz. He needs to talk to a professional so he knows what he’s dealing with.
Of course, before any diagnosis, your loved one has to go seek a professional, and I’m sure that’s the hard part.
Gaining his trust and reopening the lines of communication I hope can gently guide him to the help he needs. Maybe find a way to guide him to help, not implying schizophrenia, but offering help for the anxiety and stress he surely must be feeing
There is a family member on this site named BarbieBF and her threads are full of very helpful information. I’d say, scroll through the site and read her postings.
She suggested these resources when I first came on this site and I have referred to them many times since.
http://www.leapinstitute.org/ - under resources are free videos on using LEAP
LEAP is a way of communicating to build trust. Listen-Empathize-Agree-Partner.
http://dramador.com/ - Dr. Xavier Amador is a clinical psychologist whose brother had schizophrenia. He is the founder of the LEAP Institute. Wrote the book: I’m Not Sick I Don’t Need Help! Can buy from his website.
Search Xavier Amador and LEAP on youtube.com and you should find some long videos
Treatment Advocacy Center - under problems you will see anosognosia
Anosognosia looks like denial but is different.
Bayes for Schizophrenics: Reasoning in Delusional Disorders - LessWrong - helped understand delusions
As far as coping techniques, it would be nice if love and patience is all we needed. I do love my big brothers with all my heart. But I needed realistic help.
That is where www.nami.org came in.
They have support groups all over the nation and educational information on many mental health issues.
Please also check out www.schizophrenia.com
There is a lot of info on what Schizophrenia symptoms are like, how to get help, FAQ’s.
As far as more immediate coping techniques, all I could do was to reassure my brother that I did have his best interest in mind and I wanted to help.
Also, learning boundaries and sticking to them has turned out to be very important tool. It’s hard to do I’ll admit. I had a very hard time not getting sucked into the argument and emotion that goes with a paranoia spike. Walking away, leaving the room, letting my brother have some space has helped both of us I feel.
It’s hard to let go and not try to “fix” the situation. For me, there was no way I could fix anything. All I could do was listen when he wanted to talk and walk away when he started accusing me of things. That was very hard to do.
I hope this helps a little.
Thank you for letting me post.
Try to get him into the care of mental health professionals. They can determine whether he needs medication. It’s impossible to reason with someone who is psychotic. Remember that you are dealing with a person with an illness, and try not to take his accusations to heart.
Sounds like the precursor to some sort of psychosis. Tell him things don’t have to be this way. Tell he should see a doctor. Remind him you love him somehow and that he can trust you. Tell him you want/need him to get better.
Let’s the psychs take it from there.
It could be sz. Get him assessed. He amy need a stay in a psych hospital for a while.