Question:
I’m really strung out from all of this because it’s happening too quick!!! I’m kinda freaked out about it and feel like I’m over my head....BUT, this is my best friend and I can’t sit back and not do anything...also I promised him that I would be there for him no matter what happens. Anyone out there with advice? Or please give me some info or feedback on what is it that is going on with him? How can he snap in and out of his paranoia just by talking about things? Is this paranoid schizophrenia or is this a case of panic attack from the social anxiety?
Answer:
i have a male friend who is 23 years old (we have been each others
best friends for the past 5 years)....he has a history of social
anxiety and is currently taking zoloft. him and i spend a lot of time
chatting with messenger, and also play a lot of on line games. during the past 2 months i have seen him getting more and more
paranoid......he told me that people are listening in on his phone
conversations, hacking into his computer, there are microphones in my
car listening to us talk, mafias and the masons are spying on him and
following him.........this past week he went to the police and his
place of employment and asked them to do a background check on me as
he is suspicious of me.
2 days ago he got sent home early from work due to his paranoia.....i
happened to drove by his house and saw his car in the driveway and
decided to stop in to say hi to him. when i got inside, he wasnt home
which made me concern because of all the above recent events. so i
decided to call him on his cell phone and he answered........he told
me he was walking and would be coming right home to see me.
when he got home.........man, i have never seen him so scared in his
life!!!!! sweat was pouring down his face, shivering uncontrollably,
fast shallow breathing........he kept on looking at the front door as
if he was expecting someone to come running thru it to hurt
him..........durign all this time, he was telling me that people are
following him and taking pictures of him. he also told me he went to
the local mental health agency, but he left the place because he
thought there were hidden cameras.
anyway, we talked for the next 2 hours......and i let him tell me
everything that he had been experiencing. so on and on we talked, and
gradually his paranoia got better and he calmed down. eventually it
seemed like he got some insight and told me that he knows that this
isn't real !!!!!.......he also told me that he had stopped taking his
zoloft about 10 days ago.
i went home and packed a few things, and stayed with him for a couple
of days.....during these 2 days i see his paranoia and anxiety creep
up every once in a while, and each time i would ask him what he is
thinking, or what he is feeling. (i know him well enought to see his
facial expression change and also the way he is talking about
things.)........we wuld talk for a bit after each small episodes and
he would calm down and tell em everything is ok.
i should of mentioned that we had a similar incident like this which
happened about 3 days earlier.....but it wasnt as bad as the incident
i described above. but during each of these events, it seemed like
after we talk his paranoia would subside, and he can see that he was
being paranoid about nothing, and than he would tell me that he is
foolish for thinking like that.
also, he agreed that his parents should know about this, and i called
them to let them know........during the conversation with his parents,
his father told me that about a month ago he went to visit them and he
told his father he thought someone was following him.
so for now , my friend is currently staying with his parents for a few
days just to get away from everything.........and him and i are
working on trying to get him an appointment to go see a psychiatrist.
but we arent having much luck......as all the psychiatrists we have
called are too busy, or not returning our phone calls.
i'm really strung out from all of this because its happening too
quick!!! i'm kinda freaked out about it and feel like i'm over my
head........BUT, this is my best friend and i cant sit back and not do
anything...also i promised him that i would be there for him no matter
what happens.
anyone out there with advice? or please give me some info or
feedback on what is it that is going on with him? how can he snap
in and out of his paranoia just by talking about things? is this
paranoid schizophrenia or is this a case of panic attack from the
social anxiety?
i dont want to see my friend like this!!!!.....he is such a gentle
person and i've never seen him so scared in his life, and at the same
time so helpless about everything that is happening to him.......its
like his world had turned upside down !!
I'd like to know how celebrities are NEVER diagnosed with paranoia. I mean, the
paparazzi are everywhere: digging thru trash, hiding in bushes, ambushing
vehicles, bugging wireless phones...bugging police stations (hello MJ!), bugging
psychiatric hospitals (as seen on Court TV this past week!)...in short, they
break every rule and create a siege mentality within their prey. It sounds to me as though your friend is being attacked at the
spiritual level and the best thing for him to do is to concentrate on
getting to know our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I am confident that
the more your friend reads the Scriptures and applies' the Lord's Word
in his life, the quicker his recovery will proceed. Do you think demons can be exorcised? One friend recommended this, but
I didn't want to deal with her New Agish friends. I've thought about offering a church a donation of $100 or whatever for
this service. Somehow I can't work up the nerve to call and say "hi,
i'm m., i'm a schizo and requesting an exocism."
Pride cometh before a fall. I hear Jesse Ventura gave color-commentary on an exorcism he witnessed. (in a
movie spoof of The Exorcist) this is a serious situation your frenid is psycotic bring him to er as soon
as you can what you have said would warent an admission to a haspital at
least in this country ireland zolft will do absolutly nothing for this he
neads to be put on antipsycotics asap from what i know his brain is being
damaged the longer you let him intertain these thoughts the harder it will
be for him to respond to treatment when he gets it im shure he is not far of
hearing voices by the sound of it its good that somtimes at least he can
tell the difrence between reality and what he thinking talk to him when he
is in this stae as talking to him when he is full blown will only make him
think your part of the conspericy Going off zoloft cold turkey can cause serious problems. He should
have gradually reduced the dosage before he stopped taking them.
Sounds like your friend needs medical attention.
From what you say, I think you responded well to what happened. That
doesn't mean you can fix this; and, you may not even have a big role
in what happens. It might be a good idea to stop and breathe, and
"take care of yourself" as they say, much-abused though that phrase
is. I suggest not worrying about whether it's sz or panic, or stopping
Zoloft abruptly, or whatever. Stuff takes time. Even the syatem
takes a while to arrive at a Dx. They try this and that, and the
person has various adventures, and things evolve. It can be a long
road, and you're not the driver.
That being said, it does sound he may well end up in the hospital.
What happens there is so variable, at least in the US, that it's not
worth speculating about. Well, a few things:
First, even though you might think he clearly needs to be
hospitalized, he may not be admitted. That can depend on how many
beds they have, his insurance situation, what mood the doctor is in,
how your friend responds to them, etc. On the first visit, they may
just refer him to a clinic.
Second, if he's admitted, he'll be medicated.
And third, he'll eventually be discharged. That might be before you
think he's ready. (Refer above for the reasons.) For a lot of
people, that cycle repeats. Once a person has a history with the
hospital system, they seem to get admitted more readily.
As far as p-docs in private practice: my impression (again, US) is
that for most, their favorite patient is someone with insurance
coverage and mild depression. People with psychosis seem to end up in
clinics.
Finally, you might attend a NAMI meeting, if there's one near you
(again, assuming US). I wouldn't treat everything said there as
gospel, but people will know how to navigate the system in your area:
what services are available, who to talk to, etc.
