[riemannzeta]

I too found this interesting. I wonder also whether this particular individual was misdiagnosed as schizophrenic. Sounds pretty similar to a bipolar episode of mania, and marijuana is a documented trigger for bipolar mania.

[meowface]

I agree, I get the impression that this was a temporary psychotic episode possibly triggered through sleep deprivation, heavy use of cannabis, and maybe some underlying mental condition. Schizophrenia is typically a very chronic condition and doesn't manifest as only one psychotic episode per year.

I'm no doctor, psychiatrist, or psychologist, but I think his diagnosis is probably closer to "psychosis not otherwise specified".

However, he did mention that he is still taking the anti-psychotic medication, which can indeed inhibit the effects of schizophrenia for a long period of time. If he stops taking the medication and encounters psychotic symptoms again, then it probably is schizophrenia or similar.

[codezero]

I'm not a doctor, but I have a friend who is schizophrenic, the feeling of hearing cacophony, as well as believing people are hiding in cameras, and things are always about to fall are pretty good indicators. So many mental health issues are on a spectrum where one or two bits overlap with other diagnoses, so it's often hard to pin just one.

[michaelochurch]

It doesn't sound like a typical manic episode at all. Perhaps a mixed episode (mania and depression at same time, or dysphoric mania) with psychotic features.

"Schizophrenia" is a weird term and diagnosis, because it's probably many different diseases. I'd guess that most of these mental illnesses are symptom profiles related to dozens of different physical maladies. The symptoms were clearly psychotic (not all mania is psychotic, and hypomania rarely is, unless you include the benign religiosity) but I don't know (having experienced neither psychosis nor schizophrenia) if it's of the same character as what people with chronic schizophrenia experience.