| You're describing a family member of mine to a T. Very intelligent guy, can hold his own against the brightest, charm coming out of ears, creativity overflowing. He had some paranoid episodes in the past, but we put it down to stress. He was a normal functioning human being 99% of the time, as are we all. Then it became 90%, and then 80%, and the remaining 20% was full-fledged paranoia. You'd have to talk him off a cliff almost on a weekly basis to not act rashly on little data. It became difficult to talk once it became clear he was never going to listen. Once the family became the enemy, he fled from us. Any attempts to bring him back just made him flee further. I sympathise with your friend's family. There's nothing you can do. If he's not accepting help, then he likely needs to sink further into his delusions/paranoia before he realises what help he needs. It has to come from him, and not from you. The alternative is sectioning them, and that's something not one of us is prepared to do. Triggers? There's definitely a genetic aspect to it in our family. There's also ADHD. The use of weed and possibly other drugs as a creative muse. Jealousy might also be a factor. |