Schizophrenia or something else?!
Question: Schizophrenia or something else.?
I know a family friend who, coincidentally, goes to the same college as I do. She's known to be a little crazy, and everyone tells me to avoid her at all costs, and I try, but it doesn't always work.
But anyway, she added me as a friend on facebook, so when I looked at her profile, I was shocked. She somehow has it in her head that she is a descendant of the royal family in Great Britain and is set to marry Prince William any day now. She keeps saying she is a little pink princess and is related to Princess Diana and knows the secrets behind her death.
Her entire profile consists of "proverbs" that she wrote that are hard to decipher but just basically say that she is a member of the royal family, etc, etc. (She is not, as most of her friends know) She sincerely believes the royal family is about to announce her as another princess or something.
She's abandoned her two daughters (both over 18) to come here, I'm not sure if she's attending the college, or just living around here. And I'm just wondering if this is schizophrenia or something else.? What could we do, I feel guilty just avoiding her, I'm not sure if she belongs in a mental hospital or not.?Health Question & Answer
But anyway, she added me as a friend on facebook, so when I looked at her profile, I was shocked. She somehow has it in her head that she is a descendant of the royal family in Great Britain and is set to marry Prince William any day now. She keeps saying she is a little pink princess and is related to Princess Diana and knows the secrets behind her death.
Her entire profile consists of "proverbs" that she wrote that are hard to decipher but just basically say that she is a member of the royal family, etc, etc. (She is not, as most of her friends know) She sincerely believes the royal family is about to announce her as another princess or something.
She's abandoned her two daughters (both over 18) to come here, I'm not sure if she's attending the college, or just living around here. And I'm just wondering if this is schizophrenia or something else.? What could we do, I feel guilty just avoiding her, I'm not sure if she belongs in a mental hospital or not.?Health Question & Answer
Answers:
The symptoms that your family friend could be consistent with schizophrenia. These thoughts of hers are delusions, fixed false beliefs, where she believes something that is not true. Delusions can also be associated with the manic stages of bipolar disorder. Does she exhibit other symptoms such as extreme mood swings.? Extreme emotional highs and lows.?
If she is not endanger of harming herself or others, she may not need to be hospitalized. (You'd be amazed how many people with mental health issues live independently in the community! How prevalent is depression.?) Do you have a community mental health team in your area.? You could contact your local doctor or nurse and they might be able to help. If she is connected with a psychiatrist, she could be prescribed meds such as olanzapine or clozapine. Psychotherapy such congnitive behavioral therapy might also help.
Getting her hooked up with professionals that can help would be the best first step. They can do an assessment and recommend a course of action.
I`ve worked in psychiatric inpatient care for over 10 years and what you are describing is not that uncommon and it is treatable.Health Question & Answer
If she is not endanger of harming herself or others, she may not need to be hospitalized. (You'd be amazed how many people with mental health issues live independently in the community! How prevalent is depression.?) Do you have a community mental health team in your area.? You could contact your local doctor or nurse and they might be able to help. If she is connected with a psychiatrist, she could be prescribed meds such as olanzapine or clozapine. Psychotherapy such congnitive behavioral therapy might also help.
Getting her hooked up with professionals that can help would be the best first step. They can do an assessment and recommend a course of action.
I`ve worked in psychiatric inpatient care for over 10 years and what you are describing is not that uncommon and it is treatable.Health Question & Answer
That doesn't sound like Schizophrenia to me, but my experiences with schizophrenics has been much different.
But she sure sounds crazy to me, or like someone who tells jokes at a whole new level.
But then again, I have some odd stories of true events that have happened to me. And people have claimed I was crazy too.
She probably has multiple personalities, which is different from Schizophrenia.Health Question & Answer
But she sure sounds crazy to me, or like someone who tells jokes at a whole new level.
But then again, I have some odd stories of true events that have happened to me. And people have claimed I was crazy too.
She probably has multiple personalities, which is different from Schizophrenia.Health Question & Answer
Sounds like split personality's. She could have Schizophrenia. A lot of these people have lost touch with reality. It's not their fault. It's just a symtom of their disease. Health Question & Answer
If she really believes all this is true and her actions reflect this belief, then yes, it's schizophrenia.Health Question & Answer
Yes...It looks like schizophrenia.Health Question & Answer
it sounds like schizophrenia but she doesn't really belong in a mental hospital if she is capable of caring for herself. so she has a delusion, not the end of the world really but it's too bad she can't see a doctor and get some antipsychotics.
if you want to be a great person and help your friend get to a doctor, maybe find out of there are other symptoms that she has that she would like to have treated (depression, for example). you probably aren't going to convince her she is delusional so focus on the other symptoms. then offer to help her make an appointment with a good psychiatrist (hard to do yourself when you are psychotic) and drive her to it and fill the doctor in on what you know when you make the appointment. that's a lot to do but you'd be a great person for doing it.
also, if she has schizophrenia, there is no reason to be scared of her or try to avoid her. schizophrenics aren't any more dangerous than the rest of us.Health Question & Answer
if you want to be a great person and help your friend get to a doctor, maybe find out of there are other symptoms that she has that she would like to have treated (depression, for example). you probably aren't going to convince her she is delusional so focus on the other symptoms. then offer to help her make an appointment with a good psychiatrist (hard to do yourself when you are psychotic) and drive her to it and fill the doctor in on what you know when you make the appointment. that's a lot to do but you'd be a great person for doing it.
also, if she has schizophrenia, there is no reason to be scared of her or try to avoid her. schizophrenics aren't any more dangerous than the rest of us.Health Question & Answer