Do you ever wonder if the illness is something more? My family member seems to know our private conversations even when he is not home. He has a weird relationship with religion. Searching demons, heaven, exorcisms, & is sometimes scared to sleep alone. I’ve heard him mutters to himself “I saw this in a movie once” and “I already know how this is gonna go.” I feel like I would sound crazy if I let myself believe it’s something more than a mental illness. I know it’s just a part of the psychosis & delusions but part of me is so lost on why this is happening to him. He’s not officially diagnosed, not even on meds yet…he does a good job of hiding the illness, but his doctors believe he’s is schizophrenic. Does anyone else experience really weird religious delusions with your loved one? It’s just strange. We do our best to make sure he feels safe and welcome faith if he chooses to believe.
Delusions around religion are very common in sz. My son doesn’t have them but I have heard many others explain religious delusions on this site. Hope your son gets help soon.
Our family is not religious, but my son is fairly obsessed about it now. It’s OK - it’s better than thinking he’s the devil, and I just keep reminding him it’s OK to be “like” Jesus, but not to think he is Jesus, or God. At least, Jesus only tried to do good things.
He does get a little agitated now if he thinks I am saying anything that means I don’t believe in God. I just go along with him - at this point in my life, I wouldn’t say I believe or don’t believe, I’m more of the questioning type.
He is also sure he knows the future, he can read minds, he can project thoughts, he can see into other people’s head (although I must have a hard head because mine is usually not open to him, thankfully), he’s psychic, you name it.
It’s called magical thinking & very common in people with psychosis.
The interesting/confusing part about it to me is that I’ve read where people with SZ who are not of the Christian faith can get obsessed with Jesus, etc. - that’s the really interesting thing to me.
My son has always been very sensitive & he can read body language/facial expressions better than the words he hears, so maybe that’s what he picks up on.
Do I think he’s really psychic? No, I don’t.
In another time and another place, maybe people would have thought he was.
I like to know how he feels about it. If it’s scary to know so much, or if he likes it, or feels a different kind of way.
I always tell him I’m glad I can’t read minds - that it would be overwhelming for me.
My son is very interested in Buddhism, but also wears a Christian cross and reads the Bible. He has only once claimed to be Jesus, lol.
There are a lot of delusions around this topic - you can review some of the discussions on this topic in the “Diagnosed” forum:
My son thinks other people but not him can read minds, he says he has heard others "inner thoughts " and that people can hear his.