Schizophrenia or Something Else?

Could be schizophrenia, could be dementia. It's possible that he has always had schizophrenic/paranoid tendencies and as he's getting older, they're getting worse.

Also, in older people, sometimes simple medical things can have severe cognitive impact. Often times UTIs and bladder infections present as dementia in the elderly. If it came on or worsened suddenly, physical problems should not be immediately ruled out. My MIL was completely hallucinatory and delusional when she had a bad UTI. That cleared up and she was fine again.

Whatever it is, get an intervention NOW.

Good luck.

maybe an anxiety disorder/OCD type of thing, which would explain having to memorize prices. It doesn't sound like schizo. Lots of people as they age and their mind deteriorates act paranoid and think everyone is out to get them. It is not so much a mental illness as the brain going, like dementia or Alzheimers can make people think everyone has it in for them.

Definitely see a doctor, but these can also be signs of dementia.

If you are dealing with someone who is experiencing mental illness, he needs to get help. I just pulled my DSM (clinical diagnosis manual) off the shelf b/c schizophrenia is so incredibly rare that I needed to refresh myself on the criteria:
- delusions
- hallucinations
- disorganized speech (incoherence)
- grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior
- "negative symptoms" i.e. flattened affect, minimized movement, etc.

What makes me suspect that there is something else going on here is the age factor. Schizophrenia typically starts manifesting immediately after puberty and is most often initially diagnosed as "Bipolar". Typically during early adulthood, the delusions and hallucinations become overpowering to the point of loss of occupation (school, work, relationships) at which time most differential diagnoses then reflect "Schizophrenia".

More likely, your uncle is experiencing the onset of a psychotic disorder as a symptom of the onset of dementia or another underlying condition.

You describe symptoms often associated with a schizophrenic patient, but more accurately you are describing psychosis that probably has a different source. Either way, get him to both a psychiatrist and a neurologist immediately b/c he needs meds.

I would make sure he gets to the Dr. immediately. Mental illness is nothing to mess around with.
good Luck!

She needs to call the family doctor and speak about it. It sounds like a mental illness, but I think several different didsorders present with paranoia, so it may nto be schitzophrenia. Also a lot of things could be co-morbid, for instance he has had OCD but is notw depressed making it worse. He also could have been high functioning schitzophrenic or one who self-medicated with alcohol or something else and now with age it is worsening.

However, he clearly is becoming less and les functional, and need help. And frankly, your aunt really need help.

The one thing that came to mind immediately was actually dementia. How old is he? 50s?

I advise your aunt to talk to a doctor. For his age, it could be a sign of early dimentia or alzheimer's.

I agree with SM- this could be dementia. Please have your Aunt or if she can have you help call the doctor for an evaluation.

I would suggest dementia of some sort rather than schizophrenia. My grandmother had a series of strokes when she was about 70 & started acting really weird, too - she started accusing people of things & imaging there were people in the bush out to get her. Seriously. Because she was keft-handed, the strokes didn't show up the way they normally might (long story, but strokes in left-handed people don't always affect language...). Anyway, she should really mention it to his doctor & see if she can't get him checked out. Could be a number of things, even a brain tumor...

I think he needs to see a doctor. Anytime "quirks" start impacting your life in a negative way its time to seek help. Feeling persecuted or otherwise extremely paranoid when there is no reason to be can be a sign of schizophrenia.

I have a friend who developed schitzophrenia at 37 -she did have little signs before that that we didn't think much of b/c she was very functional.

Your aunt should definately meet with a mental health professional to help her through this.

In response to the discussion around schizophrenia, you might be interested in “Living with Schizophrenia: A Call for Hope and Recovery,” a half-hour documentary film that tells the story of three people who are living meaningful lives with schizophrenia, a chronic and potentially disabling brain disorder. The film sets out to increase understanding and to reduce the fear and stigma often associated with this mental health condition. About one percent of the US adult population, or 2 million, and approximately 24 million people globally are living with schizophrenia.

View the trailer here: http://www.hopeandrecoveryfilm.com/videos/trailer.swf

C. (Living with Schizophrenia)

It might be dementia or Alzheimer's and he might have had early signs but as he ages it's progressing. If possible, get him into see a specialist because there are some medications that might help slow the progression. I'm so sorry to hear about this...it sounds heartbreaking:(

I wish you and your family well:)

HI Haj :-)

That was my first thought.. as you wrote below in you "what happened" response... some kind of potential lesion in the brain... not ruling out some sort of mental disorder BUT.. could be either a blood clot or lesion secondary to the prostate cancer... someone should notify his attending physicians and oncologist of this behavior.
hugs,
A. R.N., Energy Medicine Practitioner

Sounds like my ex fil... He was diagnosed with dementia and post traumatic stress disorder. He's not 60 yet.

Schizophrenia usually doesn't happen after a person hits their mid 20's. It's very, very rare to happen after that.

This sounds like something else. He does need a mental health check up and she needs to fill out a questionnaire at the intake interview too. It could be he has had this and been managing it and is just having a really severe episode but still it'snot likely it's been undiagnosed by this age.

I am assuming he is over 30 because they have been married 12 years, let's say they dated for 6 months and he was at least 16 at that time. He would be almost 30 in this case so it would still be possible but not likely.

is he taking an medications? My friends husband was taking aderol (sp?) and was having a lot of these same symptoms, he was taping all her phone conversations, thought he was being followed, thought the mas she was 'cheating' with was sitting in his parking lot at work, it was bizarre. It turned out to be the aderol and they changed medications, and he was/is fine.

Have him get an MRI, could have been a stroke or something.

Dementia does weird things with the brain. Antibiotics also affect the brain in Seniors in ways you wouldn't expect either.

Have him see a Dr.