Can it be schizophrenia?

Question

I think something has gone wrong with a friend of mine. As a reaction to a lot of stress and some bad events in life, he suddenly ran out of all his positive and negative emotions and feelings, and says he's become more like an observer of the world with a flattened affect and voice, and he's lost ALL his motivation, sex drive and interest in life in general. He doesn't enjoy his hobbies anymore and he doesn't say this feels any bad at all (unlike people with depression). He's been like this for a month now. I knew him before, and the difference is really dramatic. He's got no paranoid symptoms or delusions though. He's in his early-mid-twenties and his mother is schizophrenic. Do you think it could be schizophrenia? Are there any other people out there with similar symptoms?

Answer 1

Well let me start first by saying that psuchology states that schizophrenia can be inherited. In fact if someone in your family has schizo, then you are about 4 times as likely to get it than someone that doesnt have schizo lurking in his family gene pool.

What really caught my attention in your description is the fact that your friend seems to have lost all interest in life. This characteristic of loss of motivation and emotion is typically described as the "negative symptoms" of a common schizophrenia case, with the "positive symptoms" being the auditory hallucinations and visual illusions.

Another important note here is the fact that schizophrenia seems to hit men in the age range of 18-25 years old.

Also, the fact that schizophrenia does not have distinct symptoms, makes it extremely difficult to diagnose. In fact to receive a diagnosis of schizo, a person has to have a serious long lasting decline in his ability to work and care for himself and/or connect with other people. In addition he must have at least 2 of the following 5 symptoms:

Delusions: False ideas the sufferer believes they are true

Hallucinations: Usually auditory, i.e.hearing voics etc

Disorganised Speech: Sufferers usually jump wildly and illogically from one idea to the next a phenomenon known as flight of ideas

Extremely Disorganised Behavior: Behavior that is completely inapropriate with a current situation like wearing layers upon layers of wool clothes on a summer day.

The last symptoms has to be one of the negative symptoms i've mentioned above i.e. loss of motivation.

A final note here: Schizo has the tendency to go from an extremely mild to an an extremely dangerous mental disorder. Some people with a minor form of schizo are not dangerous at all -> as long as they take their medication, their behavior can be controlled. But you also have to understand that The symptoms may not seem important but you have to understand that there are severe cases as well. Especially delusions and hallucinations can be a dangerous combination: A sufferer can have the delusion that she is the Queen of England and she constantly hears voices that someone wants to kill her. In this case, its very likely for the schizo patient to get a knife and go on a killing spree.

My advice to you though is to keep an eye on your friend. If things get uglier then take him to a doctor to be evaluated.

Answer 2

Is he hearing voices? It sounds like he had his world turned upside down, he sounds like a survivor who maybe is caught in a cognitive thinking pattern. He is starting to go into depression in my opinion, he is closing his world around him, then eventually he will go into a shell and close out all of his family and friends. He needs to seek professional help, with therapy and maybe medicine, he will come back to being that same great guy you known before. Get him help, he probably will not want to seek it since this is a pattern of the thinking, when you are like that you really don't know how bad it is, but, when people start noticing it, that is the time for action, don't worry he will thank you later......Good Luck with him, you are a good friend.....

Answer 3

It sounds more like depression and he is in denial. He needs a psychiatrist RIGHT AWAY. Or it could be maniac depressive. In any case he nees a doctor since he lost motivation, interest in life, interest in all the things he used to like. That's mostly depression but maybe he does not want to admit he feels bad because it would mean he is weak and depression is not about if you are weak or not.

Answer 4

As a friend, stick with him, if he needs to talk, listen. Encourage him to go for mental help. Don't be judgmental. Realize that as a human being he is very fragile at this point. He needs time, he needs space, he needs help. You cannot force him to go. Just be there if he needs you and if you are a true friend don't turn your back on him. Stress does terrible things to the mind and can really do a number on the mental well being of even the most sanest person. Just be there and be his friend

Answer 5

In the families of schizophrenics there is not only more schizophrenics but also more of the other mental diseases than in the general population. Only a doctor can tell.

Answer 6

what you are describing doesn't sound like schizophrenia to be although it is passed from parent to child. He needs to seek medical advise because it does sound like there is something going on but at the same time just because his mother has it doesn't necessarily mean that he is suffering from it.

Answer 7

Yes it does sound like it. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do. Just try to get him to go for help. Are there other members of his family you might talk to?

Answer 8

Like someone else said, it sounds more like depression--consult a doctor!!!

Answer 9

sounds like a hemroyd

Answer 10

I agree consult a doctor, it can be many things.