[ArthurWinthrop]

I have a relative who has trouble sleeping. This relative also believes they hold "secret knowledge" given to them as some sort of special gift from God. In describing this scenario and a mixed up plan to change the world, they raise their voice as though I do not believe they can achieve it, even though I know better than to disagree. Over time, this relative has had major blowup events followed by peace. "I am the ONLY ONE in the world who can do this. Just wait"

Does anyone have a name for this? For a while I thought it was narcissism, and that may be part of it, but I think it has progressed to something else as well. Scary

[Skeezyks]

Hello ArthurWinthrop: I noticed this is your first post here on PC. So... welcome to PsychCentral.

We here on PC cannot offer mental health diagnoses. Plus I'm not a mental health professional. So there's really not much I can offer with regard to what may be going on with your relative. On the surface, at least, it sounds as though your relative may be struggling with schizophrenia. There's a forum, here on PC, dedicated to the subject of schizophrenia & psychosis. Here's a link:

https://forums.psychcentral.com/schi...and-psychosis/

One additional forum that may be of interest would be the partners of people & caregivers forum:

https://forums.psychcentral.com/part...ivers-support/

Based on what you wrote, it sounds as though your relative may be experiencing delusions. Here are links to 7 articles, from PsychCentral's archives. They discuss delusions & what to do as well as what not to do with people who are delusional, plus treatment options. The first article is by our host Dr. John Grohol, Psy.D.:

15 Common Cognitive Distortions

6 Dangerous Delusions Someone You Know Might Have | Caregivers, Family & Friends

10 Things You Should Know About Delusions | Caregivers, Family & Friends

https://blogs.psychcentral.com/careg...is-delusional/

https://blogs.psychcentral.com/careg...has-delusions/

https://blogs.psychcentral.com/careg...hout-fighting/

https://psychcentral.com/disorders/d...der-treatment/

I hope you find PC to be of benefit.

[Travelinglady]

Welcome to Psych Central, Arthur! We aren't supposed to try to diagnose here, but in my non-professional opinion, I think he's being delusional, too.

I think I've heard of some kind of God syndrome where the individual believes themselves to have God-like powers. I'm not in the field of psychology but have seen it before. The person I know gets extremely insulted and agitated if you disagree with him. He raises his voice and is very dramatic to the point where I walk away in fear he may resort to violence. He doesn't display this reaction to everyone, only those he's closest to and feels he is in control of. I would just keep my distance and try to limit my conversation with him to mere pleasantries.

[MickeyCheeky]

I'm so sorry you're struggling, ArthurWinthrop Unfortunately the only way to know for sure is to talk to a doctor and get a proper diagnosis, and see how it goes from there. Remember that he's the one that needs to get help; you can only do so much to help. You can suggest, but the final decision is up to him. I'm so sorry you have to deal with this

[WishfulThinker66]

Arthur, welcom aboard.

Without getting into the realm of diagnosing I will suggest this has nothing to do with narcissism. Rather this is being delusional. There are numerous reasons for this as it occurs with multipe mental illnesses. For example, I am bipolar. When I have had episodes in the past I have had a mentality that I can do anything. Some might describe this as my having had a god-complex. At any rate it was a delusion.

[avlady]

I would think this person is in need of some psychological help too. They are probably delusional to some degree but i don't know what else to say except they should seek a doc and t.