I don’t know if this is the right place to post this
Anyone who had experience with hallucinations or people experiencing hallucination your insight and advice is much appreciated
I think the guy I am with is having a schizophrenic episode
He had a major one first year of college when he started hearing voices telling him what to do etc, he dropped out of college for a while and was put on medication
However living in a very religious middle eastern country he went to see sorta of the priest who convinced him that it wasn’t schizophrenia that he was one of the chosen one hearing spirits.
For a while the voices stopped or so he claimed.
Last night we were camping and he suddenly confided in me and told me that he hears 3 spirits lately and they tell him when he is sinning and when he isn’t
I tried to stay calm
I told him maybe he needs to see his doctor again
He was like why doctor
I suggest he must be hallucinating
He got defensive saying they are real and have names and want to better him
Today he called again saying the voices are upset with him and at me
I don’t have experience with hallucinations or paranormal activities
I don’t know if what he is experiencing is real or made up in his mind
Is he in danger or this is fine
It’s eating away at me
How can I help?
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tashalyn
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hi tashaiyn,of course you are in the rite place,everybody hear is suffering in one way or the
other.and you are no diferance than them.you will find out,before long people from all otver the world will be contacting you with advice and comisorations.they are lovely people tashalyn, so feel at home we pride areselves as being a big family,take tashaln
Get him to the doctor, it could be psychosis, which can be caused by all sorts, it doesn't necessarily mean it's scitzophrenia. But definitely get him to a doctor.
Some drugs can trigger psychosis and hallucinations, even cannabis, I think you should tell his family if he refuses to go to a doctor, because he could need antipsychotics if he is psychotic, perhaps call his parents ? Even if he falls out with you, you will have helped him
My son is also having visual and auditory hallucinations. Unfortunately he is paranoid and thinks everyone is plotting against him. He was hospitalized against his will on a 3 day hold. They let him out because he was not deemed a danger to himself or anyone else. He is smart and knows what to say. I think ge is using drugs also...not good. I am powerless to make him get help. It is truly a nightmare. He will not yake calls, emails, texts. Thinks phone is tapped.
They are not real voices or spirits. They don't exist. Clearly it is a mental state of some kind. I have heard voices years ago and ended up in the hospital. I had a breakdown one day for no real reason. They said it was bipolar with psychosis. I took meds for six years but not anymore. Hasn't happened again. There are other types of mental illnesses that cause those hallucinations. He is in danger in my opinion as are you. These voices can be strong and convincing. Many people have committed suicide or even hurt and killed people. I'm not saying he is a murderer but things happen all the time with voices that cause people to do things they might never do otherwise. He needs help. He may need to be committed for a bit and medicated. If not I would certainly stay away from him. Is there some one you can tell like parents that can get him to a hospital. It's a ticking time bomb.
Thank you for your reply. As someone who experienced something similar what do you think would be a convincing method to take him to a doctor? He is very convinced they are real that they are spirits and that I just don’t get cause am not enlightened like him
My in laws and husband called police and they came and committed me. It was necessary for my safety and theirs. I am not aggressive at all. I was a 38 year old married mother working as a nurse. They said I even tried to attack my mil with an iron. I don't remember any of it at all. I'm normally such a docile person. Also it can be drug induced especially if it's something like spice, a synthetic pot. Drug abuse can trigger mental illness for sure and symptoms can show even when not using at the time. It sounds like an involuntarily committing would be necessary. He may be mad but it would be for his own good.
Let his parents or family take him, you need to protect yourself. If his voices are mad at you, they could be convincing him to harm you (the voices aren't real) but he doesn't realise that. It's an illness that he needs treatment for
You are not doing anything bad to him, you are helping him and if he was my son, that's what I would want you to do. Your a good friend and a good person
It will be hard for anyone to do. He could lose a job but it would be worse if he hurt himself or someone else. He could pay for that dearly. I was not mad at anyone in the long run, just when they tried to get me in the car because I didn't understand at the time.
I haven't heard about anyone on this site? This may sound cold? This is Not your problem...you already told him to go to the doctors. That's all you can do, I've heard that this could be dangerous? He's mentioned that your being apart of what he's thinking, so I'd stay way from him. Your Call
I understand that you want to help, thats the problem with us woman we always think we can Fix people? you ever hear the saying you can take the horse to water but you can't make him drink? I've been where you are, you have to let it go? But it's your LIFE, you'll see?
It sounds like a form of psychosis, not necessarily schizophrenia, I think he needs medical advice, so he can be treated the right way, illegal drugs trigger hallucinations, so he is treading on thin ground, I do have experience of seeing others like this, if you get on with his family, contact them, more than anything protect yourself, hugs x
Thank you for your reply I will give it one last try to contact his family if they have the same attitude as he does then I will just protect myself and stay away
Hi there, do you think he told the original doctor he was hearing voices? as if so they probably figured out what was wrong with him back then, sad someone has come along and told him it is something different, and hard I guess for him to accept the truth and get the proper help he needs, it all sounds very sad.
Can you try to convince him to go back to the first doctor who put him on the medication to start with?
His original doctors years ago told him it was schizophrenia and put him on antipsychotics but then him and family believed in this religious guy who told them it’s spirits and he will heal him so he stopped the meds and stopped doctors. It is indeed very sad I wish I can do more to help
YES! He does need a doctor. I totally agree with the others who have replied to you. You could be in danger. You have done your part by telling him that he needs a doctor. Unless someone commits him he too is in danger. I had a brother who was well into his thirties. He had a nervous break down during his divorce. He had hallucinations and heard voices I am sure. He went into a mental facility for a while. He never was the same after the nervous breakdown. He was on meds for the rest of his life. I have an aunt by married to my uncle. She has schizopherenia. She hears voices I am sure. She has tried to kill my uncle many times. I am no doctor and you can not diagnose yourself. The doctor is the one to do this. If he is on drugs I am sure this is part of the hallucinations. I have never done illegal drugs. I have an adult son who is sitting in prison for a very long time. He was on meth and robbed a bank. I know he has issues because of meth. I have been Anorexic for forty years. I have recently recovered. The Anorexic voice is not heard by me. It is only the illness telling lies. I have drowned them out. They are not voices you hear. It is a voice I have in my mind. I have never heard voices. He needs help. You need to think of you and be cautious. He is not your responsibility. I would be cautious of your own danger that he could impose upon you. Love you and be safe.
The fact that he is interacting with the voices is concerning. Also the fact that they are mad at you. Do they tell him to do things and does he do them? The fact that he is unable to recognize they are not real is important. Hallucinations can happen for people with depression, bi-polar, schizophrenia... schizophrenia is a label and requires a certain diagnostic criteria. He could be schizophrenic, and it sounds like he was diagnosed by a professional in the past? Don’t discount that diagnosis. And now he is experiencing voices again - This means it is a chronic or recurrent issue.
I would be concerned about the fact the voices are mad at you. I would NOT go camping with him at this time. I would be careful not to be alone with him, as the voices may tell him to harm you or himself. If he is willing to see a Dr then that is great, medication may be helpful. It is a long road. Be prepared that if you choose to continue this relationship you will be dealing with this for the entirety of the relationship in some capacity.
I understand your concern. What you’re experiencing with him can be quite frightening to any who aren’t familiar with what he’s experiencing.
Know that some are very familiar with it & can help him to understand better.
If “he” would like to discover more about his experiences, PM me & I can relay info on where he can explore more without judgement or assumptions due to limited understanding or closed-mindedness, while not alarming others like yourself.
Know this, not all people diagnosed or perceived schizophrenic are harmful. That’s a stereotype that many are currently working to dispel. For, there are some who have no sign of schizophrenia & are more dangerous, even if just by the toxicity of their words. (i.e. Domestic Violence offenders)
In any case, I hope he finds what he needs according to his wellbeing.
I’d like to add, since there were 30 some odd replies before I posted, I didn’t realize he was doing illegal recreational drugs.
I suspect he’s doing so trying to cope with various symptoms that bother him but trust me, from my own limited experience with them in the past, it makes it a lot worse. They open up pockets for him to receive more tormented thoughts, not necessarily every time he’s high but could be also when coming down. This... is what makes danger, schizophrenic or not, as no one knows how recreational drugs may cause one to react, especially if he hits a bad batch.
I don’t know how bad his addiction is or what kind but he absolutely needs help to cope with his mental struggles without the street drugs, first & foremost. It will clear his mind to begin to reset it as a base, at least.
I suggest talking to an addiction specialist to discover ways to “encourage” him to get & stay clean. Then take the rest from there. Also, what I offered earlier is available along side that treatment and distance isn’t an issue if you’re not in the USA.
If he’s part of this forum, he can PM me or as mentioned you can & relay him the info.
May he be loosed from the binds that tie him to his struggles expediently, & be filled & surrounded with peace & stability. And, I hope for you, strength & all you need to handle the situation as best as possible for both of you.
From a clinical point of view he is schizophrenic, and part of the symptoms of the disease as you sound like you may know, are auditory hallucinations and delusions. He has both and perhaps other psychotic symptoms. While it's one thing to be a compassionate friend, it's important to consider your own well-being. It is likely that if you're not already feeling considerable pain from your liason with him, the odds are high that this will happen. Irratic, irrational behavior can be described in other cultures as being a spiritual, a gift etc. You are dealing with the unknown Sometimes we love very sick people. Sick people can have episodes of degrees of normalcy and can have appeal. However, whatever what one wants to call his behavior, ask yourself, "does this cause me to feel uncomfortable or have doubts about this person, despite feeling affection towards him ?"
He definitely needs a doctor. The hallucinations and voices could influence him to harm himself or somebody else.
If you don’t know who his doctor is you need to tell the police. They will know what to do.
Your friend is in urgent need of help.
The only time I have had an Hallucination was when I forgot to take my Venlafaxine for five days. I am on a high dose. 300mg a day. The hallucination was if my late husband. He walked into the room saying “I’m not dead “ He felt real and solid before he disappeared.
Am afraid if I tell the police he gets into serious trouble the rules n regulations in our country are very strict and as I said he is involved with drugs
Its real to him and for you to suggest that they are hallucinations would be assanine in his perception because he can hear them as clear as you talking to him.
He needs to be on medications but you trying to make him go will never work. He has to want to go.
Is he expressing thoughts of harming himself or others? That would rise to the level of an emergency. Is he still meeting his basic needs which are shelter, food/water, clothing, safety, and physical health care? If not that would also rise to the level of an emergency. If all those answers are acceptable then you still have some time to work with him.
Be calm sympathetic and talk in a soft voice (no yelling.) Don't argue about if the hallucinations are true. You'll never win that one. Tell him you love and care for him. You are concerned and you think he should get help.
Your reply is very comprehensive thanks, no he didn’t express thoughts of harming anyone, even tho he has a temper,he is meeting his basic needs n is still going to work ..I guess that means there is still time to work with him,
Good idea to stay away from your friend. Remember my aunt by marriage his this illness and has tried to kill my uncle many times. She seems better with proper medication. BE SAFE!
I dont know much about this one, but i know this must be hard on you. Hang in there, do what you can to get him some medical help. I am praying God points you in the right direction and gives you strength. Big hugs💕
Your friend does sound like he is suffering from psychosis whether this is a resurfacing of his schizophrenia due to him stopping his medication or drug induced it's difficult to tell. Schizophrenia is not something that can be cured and in alot of cultures after being on medication and getting better many people believe they don't need to take the medication any longer and there is alot of stigma in some cultures over mental illness so they will look to traditional doctors or priests for an alternative reason or cure.
Your friend needs to stop using the drugs he is currently taking as illegal drugs confuse the picture even more and can stop any psychiatric drugs like antipsychotics from working in the way that they should.
Whatever you do try and get his family to see he needs a proper doctor not a religious priest as he was better before and now relapsing. A priest colluding and feeding into his delusions is not helpful at all. He could end up harming himself or someone else depending on how his voices turn without medication.
Hopefully you will be able to convince his family to get him help and let them know about the drug use if they don't already as this could be triggering the psychosis or in any event it's not helping it.
I am a psychiatric nurse by profession but don't know about mental health care in the middle East but hope you manage to get your friend the help he needs.
Thank you for ur reply, am trying to get him to stop using the drugs but it’s like talking to a wall, at this point I feel I have to accept that there is nothing more that I could do, I don’t want to risk my safety or my freedom ‘since police are on his case’ he is consumed with drug use and hallucinations and yet surprising enough he can function,
Thank you all for your replies I really have no one to talk to about this, I tried telling a friend she thought it’s funny. Well a quick update, things aren’t getting better they are getting worse, his drug use has escalated, he is now mixing morphine with MDMA with prescribed benzodiazepines, he got into a car accident yesterday, but he is fine, the police are closing in onto him and his friends who are using, two of his friends got caught already, he still defends the voices, he is a ticking bomb that I feel will explode any minute, sometimes I think it will be better if he got caught but then I remember we have no rehabilitation system, he will just do time which isn’t good. Am keeping a distance haven’t seen him since the camping trip.
You are absolutely right if he is using drugs to that level and mixing drugs as well things will have to take their natural course as he is well beyond your help at this stage. Unfortunately things will have to get dramatically worse for him to get the help that being either he is arrested and has no access to drugs or he will become less able to hold things together and this will naturally bring him to medical/ psychiatric attention. You have done your best and been a true friend you have to think of your own health and wellbeing now.
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WHY IS IT ALWAYS MY FAULT?!
Mother of a depressed 22 year old
Do I stay?
Not sure how to approach it
How is this fair?
