Does this sound familiar?

Very recently, my 30 year old sister has been experiencing some troubling symptoms almost out of the blue. She'd never experienced these symptoms before, but I would like to share some of them in hopes I can get some answers and the help she needs and deserves. I know this community is not a substitute for a doctor, but I am hoping if I can give her a better idea of what she may have, she is more likely to seek help from one, because at present, I'm not sure she will.

Symptoms:
- Trouble communicating. She talks in circles sometimes.
- Believing she was literally talking with animals
- Hallucinating during daytime and nighttime, but more often at night
- Believing someone at her work was in love with her
- Asking people if she can come into their cars
- Thinking about despair when she walked into the neighborhood, then seeing all of the cars were black, then when hope filled her, all the cars turned white
- Thinking family members were dead and replaced, that she couldn't trust us
- Seeing that the cars in the neighborhood had changed and that many of them were the same ones she saw on the highway for a long time, and believing this to be an extraordinary and peculiar occurrence.
- Thinking she was literally possessed by Satan for a short time.
- Recently very religious (Christianity) when she's been an atheist for years. Believing God is communicating to her now.
- Quoting her, "I think of something first, and then I see it." Example: "I was kneeling on the floor, then I saw videos of people kneeling on the floor."
- Talking about colors frequently.
- Doesn't believe she could be delusional, whatsoever. When I asked her if someone else had been standing next to her, and didn't see the things she saw, what she would believe then. She told me that it would just mean that God didn't want that person to see what she saw. I'm afraid it means she won't pursue medical help.

Some of her writing:
"I see videos and images and objects in the environment that I have assigned different meanings to, but I think god is communicating to me this way."
"If I thought about doing something that would tarnish our family name, I saw black."

If anyone can help shed some light on what this may be, I'd greatly appreciate it. It took me over an hour to convince her that she might indeed have a mental disorder, but I don't know if she actually believes it and what this means. I encouraged her to seek medical attention, but I don't know if or when she'll ever pursue that.

Hello pulchritudinousv: Welcome to PsychCentral! PC is a great place to gain support as well as to get information related to mental health concerns. There are many knowledgeable & caring members here.

I have to say I'm not qualified to comment with regard to the symptoms you're describing. Mental health diagnosis is best left to the professionals. Anything I, or any other non-mental-health-professional, would say with regard to this would be pure speculation. Clearly, however, your sister is struggling.

Whatever the technical "label" would be for her condition, the reality is that she is losing touch with reality. She needs professional attention. Ultimately, however, she is an adult & she's responsible for herself. In most cases, unless a person is a danger to themselves or others, they cannot be forced to seek treatment. So, with that thought in mind, what diagnosis a mental health professional might give her is really beside the point if she won't seek help. What you can do is simply to keep doing what it sounds like you've been doing... keep encouraging her to seek mental health care. I wish you success with your efforts to help your sister in her time of need...

i totally agree with the above if i had to speculate i'd say schizophrenia or a psychotic episode, it reads lile a check list for these illnesses, but we are not qualified to diagnose anybody here, she needs to see a pdoc immediately

Hi pulchritudinous,

I also agree with the previous responses, but I just wanted to add a few points which you may have already figured out by now.

As a partner of someone suffering from a mood disorder with mild psychotic symptoms, with background as a family physician, I have also been struggling with issues of denial. This lack of insight is unfortunately part of the condition. There are no simple ways to try to argue or reason with someone who has delusional thinking. It's a really tricky situation - agreeing with her delusions may strengthen them, but arguing against them will not weaken them. But bottom line is that she needs to be seen by a specialist.

Tip: when you see her distressed by her thoughts / hallucinations, you may try something like this "I can see that issue (fill in specific) is distresing you - why don't we go see someone who might be able to help". If she refuses a pdoc/family physician, you might need to start with a psychologist/social worker, maybe through the church.

Finally, occasionally, psychosis can be triggered by medical conditions that a family physician can rule out with some routine tests - Important to get her to a doctor as soon as possible.

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses. I've been researching lack of insight as well. It's just so frustrating talking with her that sometimes I ignore her texts. I feel like I'm talking to a wall that repeats itself over and over with slightly different subject material. I know she needs me, but I feel like I'm starting to lose my own mind trying to ground her. Now she won't see a doctor because she has no insurance and I don't live where she does to give her a better idea of what her options are.

Again- sounds psychotic for sure.

I'm sorry you're going though this scary time. This sounds like active psychosis. I've been in a similar position before. My brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2006, but he was having delusions and hallucinations in 2005. Unfortunately, your hands are tied. It's hard to convince them to get help and even then you can't do the treatment for them.

Remember: if she is a danger to herself or to others you need to call 911. That's the only way to get an involuntary hospitalization (and psych evaluation). She would be hospitalized from 3-7 days before she's released, during which time she will hopefully be medicated and her positive symptoms will remit -- unless it turns out this isn't the onset of a mental illness but in fact something physical, something metabolic, which is a possibility. The age of onset of SZ is later in women than it is in men.

An invaluable source of information and support for me has been NAMI.

Thank you. I'll be sure to check out NAMI.

Unless there is some precedent for this I think it is unusual for someone to be having their first break at 30 years old. There may be an underlying medical condition (tumor, injury, stroke, etc) that needs to be treated. Having her evaluated by a physician before going to the mental health side seems to be in order.

The onset of schizophrenia is later in women than in men. I've seen clinical presentation after the age of 30.

If she presents in the ER she will be evaluated by a physician first, before a psychological eval. The physician will decide whether a psych eval is necessary.

Unusual for Schizophrenia to set in so late, but it happens. There's also Capgras delusion, where you think your family has been replaced by imposters. Maybe that's one you could point out to her, because it sounds like she doesn't think that ALL the time, so she must know there's something wrong about it. That might be a way to at least get her to see someone about it. Can you mistake your family for impostors? - HowStuffWorks

I had no idea there was an actual condition for this; it certainly helps, thank you. I wonder if it can be one part of another condition as well.

I have run into another problem though, if I can ask you all for more assistance. She got really bad, so I just did all the research for her in her area--which facility to go to and what to ask for, which paperwork to fill out, complete with address and number--and then she stopped her regular communication with me after a single text stating she would pursue it. She wasn't mad at me or anything, but when I inquired a few days later, she stated that she was better and that her symptoms stopped and she didn't need to go anymore.

Is this possible? To just have all symptoms like that disappear? Or is she just being evasive because she doesn't want to do the work?

"Is this possible? To just have all symptoms like that disappear? Or is she just being evasive because she doesn't want to do the work? "
Again, without having more context of history, it could be either spontaneous remission or fear of being committed. Minimally, getting into a primary physician or Emergency dept for a medical exam seems warranted here. She may have a serious medical condition that has gone into remission temporarily and it would be important to have it checked out, as just because the symptoms are no longer there doesn't mean the condition has gone away.

I think that is a normal attitude. She is does things, talks to things and about things that are all things that are not going to present issues. At the same time she demonstrates trust and sociable behavior. She projects positive emotions. She allows her mind to wander freely it seems and just make she wears bright clothing so she doesn't get hit by a car.