I am not a psychologist. I am saying that he might be schizophrenic mostly because, after hearing our description of his behavior, that’s what a therapist said. He thinks that he’s bipolar, which could be.
Anyway…he’s paranoid and delusional. And ever since he started taking Wellbutrin, about 3 to 4 weeks ago, he’s become very irritable and violent.
My family and I were trying to help him get himself together. He could have lived with someone for free and gone to school for free to get the job he said that he always dreamed of. Then he abruptly changed his mind and became obsessed with mountain climbing, which he has never done.
At first I encouraged him, because I thought he was going to go to school to make money to climb mountains. It soon became clear that he was angry that anyone wanted him to go (when he had been happy and excited about it).
He started spending each day hiking and picking wild mushrooms, honing his ‘survival’ skills.
He has collected tons of books about Mount Everest and had plans to hitch-hike to Alaska, to climb mountains, with no money or skills.
We already knew he was having problems because he has tried to kill himself twice in the last couple of months.
I don’t want to get into the paranoia here, but he definitely feels that the world is against him, blatantly, and that no one wants him to succeed.
He has recently become hyper-critical and mean. The last straw was the other night when he was annoyed with my daughter and he leaped up from my desk, grabbed my 9-year-old, dragged her across my house, and threw her. So I told him to leave.
Rather than going to his friend’s house (incidentally, one by one, his friends are cutting him off), he hit the road, hitch-hiking. Now he won’t be able to keep his appointments or get his medicine.
If I am able to get in touch with him, is there anything that I can do to get him care, because I am afraid that, left to his own devices, he’s going to kill himself or remain homeless and without medicine and counseling?
He’s 23 years old.
