[healthyaid]

My boyfriend of 5 years (we're both 21) recently went to study abroad and about a week and a half into his trip he started hearing voices. He wouldn't go into detail about what the voices were saying, just that they were teasing him, and telling him to do bad things. He was also having delusions of being conditioned in his sleep, being watched, and that other students were messing with him. It got progressively worse in just a few days and he stopped telling me what was going on.

Thankfully he told a friend right away and saw a psychiatrist about 6 days after he started hearing voices. They put him on sleeping pills and medication and he's been doing much better ever since. It's been about a week and he doesn't hear the voices anymore. He's been going to class, going out with friends, and having a great time.

I have done a lot of reading on schizophrenia in the past few weeks and I have read that symptoms need to be present for at least 6 months to receive a diagnosis. My question is, since he is already on medication, how would they go about giving him a diagnosis? His symptoms were only present for a short period of time before getting treated. Since it's still early and he's been doing so well, is it possible that this is just a brief episode (not schizophrenia) and he will be fine? I'm trying my best to be optimistic because it worries me so much to think otherwise.

Just additional info: He has no family history of schizophrenia. He has always been into eastern philosophies and spiritual beliefs, and a few weeks before he left has expressed to me that he's always felt a bit different and thinks he was going through "kundalini activation". He's been in college for the past year and a half, but stopped working in September and spent a lot of time in his room, sleeping a lot, and going on the computer (Prodrome phase??). He wasn't suffering from any type of depression or anxiety, and our relationship has been really great the past few years. He has a very easygoing personality; kind, sweet, caring and fun to be around.

[Sometimes psychotic]

It may just be a brief psychotic disorder, the easiest way to find out would be for him to with his psychiatrist go off meds after a year or two of stability---if it doesn't recur within a year or so he's likely fine and it was a one time thing.

[healthyaid]

Originally Posted by Sometimes psychotic

It may just be a brief psychotic disorder, the easiest way to find out would be for him to with his psychiatrist go off meds after a year or two of stability---if it doesn't recur within a year or so he's likely fine and it was a one time thing.

Thanks for your response, I'm really hoping that's what it is. I'm curious about why you think it might just be a brief episode and not schizophrenia?

I spoke with his siblings and in retrospect, we think he might have been in the prodrome phase and we just missed the signs for the past few months. We haven't been able to communicate with his psychiatrist because he's still abroad :\

[insilence]

when i started hearing voices the hospital put me haldol, i stopped taking the meds, a month later they were yelling loudly. from then on its been hell. Im on clozapine now, wish they had put me on that first. i believe its a technology of some kind, implants, beams, fields?? anyhow ive found ways to reduce the severeity. But i recommend to stay on meds. if meds arent an option, high niacin regiments might help if hes not diabetic.