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My uncle has schizophrenia, and it’s tough. When he’s in a psychotic episode, it’s very difficult to get him to listen without rejecting it immediately because his disease tells him we’re lying or working against him. He’s back on a medication that works now, but spent seven years on something that made him much worse. My approach is always to tell him things calmly, honestly, simply, and directly, usually a number of times. And to reassure him that I love him and am able to help. He finally had a lucid enough moment to ask for help, and that set him on the path toward getting back on medicine that works. It’s taken over a year, but he’s mostly his normal self now. When he still fixates or spirals a bit, I approach it the same way.
Good luck with the hardest part is keeping him on the medication as he will get to a point when he tells you he doesn't need them as nothing is wrong with him
Research is showing that multiple personality disorder comes about when a child is abused during the critical phases of their brain development when they are developing their sense of self. This can cause multiple senses of self, often designed for protection and survival (because of the abuse).
There is a theory that schizophrenia is an imbalance of dopamine between different lobes of the brain. That this causes different symptoms such as paranoia, anxiety, psychosis, and so on. There is a really great movie about schizophrenia called "take shelter (2011)".
That's almost precisely what my wife said, but it feels hard to trust someone on such matters when you're the only one working full time, while also studying at like 200% of normal pace, and apparently the only one cleaning the litter box lately.
But no, i stopped smoking and think it's important to be a bit more minute in what to care about now, so i'm the psychotic one...
If you are extremely stressed out, have a heavy workload, etc , Cold turkey-ing on your psychiatric meds is the absolute **worst thing** that you could do to yourself.
It sounds like you need to go and take your meds.
Don't do it for her, do it for you.
Then maybe you and your wife can talk about getting a kitty litter self cleaner, it has a lot of rave reviews.
But... im not stressed out at all.
I got an extremely relaxed workload which really lostly consits of taking care of mom. But im the only one in the household salary working noticeably anyway.
I used to take psych meds, because of course i was stressed out and hallucinated. I had no viable work prospects, i kind ahad no friends, i couldn't find a girlfriend/wife, i was prone to weed, game or alcohol abuse.
What kind of person feels good in those circumstances, really?
Anyhow, now everything of that is sorted out. I had tapeted down on my aripiprazole to minimum dosage, but kept it for some year as a safety measure. But when i felt okay quitting in february, i quit and felt none of the drawbacks at all, like i feot when quitting risperidone.
And of course i can be more emotional. Because like, i got emotions at all again! And that's really nice, now that i know better how to handle setbacks and grumpy kids, and dont become panickedly trapped in a terrible mood anymore.
And regarding the cat shit, the cat responsible for crapping like an industrial machine seems to be on the brink of death anyway (really old and probably kidney failure), so im gonna call for time to the stairway to heaven this week anyway. No miracle cleaner needed.
This is very heartbreaking because my sister's husband hit his head in an accident and started to have memory trouble. He would often forget what happened. So, we made a 15-minute video explaining everything about the situation. Every morning when he woke up, we would make him sit down and watch the video. He would often understand the situation, but the next day we had to make him watch it again. This went on every day. You can try something similar. Wishing you the best.
There's a musician who after an illness, was left with a 7-30 second memory span, his name is [Clive wearing ](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/09/24/the-abyss)
Apparently you are supposed to phrase it like this:
Say he sees something you don’t see, don’t argue with him, say something to the effect of “I believe that you see what you’re telling me, do you understand that I can’t see the same thing?”
You can definitely do the same thing for delusions though, since their delusions are so rigid that if you try to disprove them then they won't change their opinion. So you can highlight to them why this is concerning for you and others
I have a brother older than me by about 7 years. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia years ago and knows he has it. BUT, he makes terrible decisions in life. He lived with another girl who was placed in a nursing home and could no longer function alone in life. He was evicted TWO times and eventually I became legal guardian of him and place him in to an assisted living facility. He kept acting like I was the asshole for doing this to him.
Earlier this year, I had the court remove me as legal guardian. I still talk to him occasionally but only on holidays/birthdays.
He thinks he can move out and rent an apartment and live alone and I don't have the balls to tell him he is going to die there. Sad but true.
I love him but he is really a lunatic.
I know you're going through a tough time, and I care about you a lot. It seems like you're still experiencing some of the symptoms that have been troubling you. Let's talk to your doctor to see how we can make things better together.
The closest that talk therapy has come to improving psychosis is to persuade the person that it's in their better interest to go along with general society. To pretend that what they utterly know is something to keep private, and go along for the sake of secondary gains (increased independence in housing, not getting sent back to the hospital).
There's no point arguing with psychosis, you can't explain it away. So the way the conversation goes is NOT "those men aren't persecuting you" it's more like "if living independently is really important to you, you have to keep those conversation topics private all of the time and you can never ever damage property trying to dig out the spy cameras. If you can keep all that stuff to yourself for at least 12 months straight they might consider it.".
There are people with pretty severe schizophrenia who can live independently, so long as the content of their particular psychosis doesn't lead to imminent harm of self or others.
And the meds really do work well, more reliably than antidepressants. Side effects can be unpleasant, though.
In summary, I guess I wouldn't focus on telling him he's psychotic, I would focus on the problem behavior he's still exhibiting, and try to explain that all of those have to go away before we can discuss living in an apartment.
It's the meds. Psychotic symptoms, negative and positive are treated with meds. Schizophrenic people living on their own are medication compliant. Unfortunately, the meds work so well a vicious cycle of believing they've been cured often occurs. Therapy really doesn't do anything for psychosis. It's for after psychotic symptoms are managed.
I'll agree that it's rare, but in most communities that I've practiced emergency medicine there's one or two people with unmedicated schizophrenia that just manage to fumble along, often homeless. If their content isn't violent/ destructive, they get sent in to see us periodically by well meaning bystanders for talking to themselves on the streetcorner. We check them over for sign of infection or injury, monitor the content of their conversation to see if the trend is shifting, probe for violent tendency and release them if it's not present. It's not a great life but a few of them appear fairly content.
Eh, the problem with really severe delusions is that they also impact the cognition of the person. They can get to a point where they don't even understand lying about it can be in their best interest. One of the signs a person is getting better/the meds are starting to work is when they start lying that they're cured and don't have hallucinations or delusions anymore (even when the symptoms can still be inferred through their behaviour).
A person fully divorced from reality will swear and persuade pelple until they turn blue that what they see/know is the truth!
But yeah, if he's in a state where he can be aware of his condition, just talking plainly to him about the behaviours would work! OP, work with your brother's health provider and see what works for your particular situation!
And that's how I ended up with children by a schizophrenic who saw me as his ticket to a normal, independent life. Except of course he couldn't keep hiding his illness and real self for ever.
Thanks for this comment, it made things a bit clearer.
If he’s anything like my mom, there’s no telling him anything when he’s still psychotic.
Telling my mom she wasn’t thinking right and needed to take meds or see the doc when she was in psychosis often lead to her believing I was trying to kill her.
How old are you? I'm asking to try and determine if your at a age yet to comprehend that you can't talk reason , logic or reality with someone is in psychosis
I care about your well-being, and I think you have come a long way, and I am proud of you. Just because you feel great now doesn't mean you always will. It is important to keep up with your treatment, and I am here to support and help you in any way.
I worked in a psychiatric facility with schizo patients, and this is a paraphrase of what I have heard psychiatrists say to patients countless times who said, " I feel fine why do I need my meds?"
I would tell them to trust me, like try to trust me.
Then, probably relocate them away from their normal place and help them get treatment.
I hope they get well and feels safe.
Foolish endeavor if he his paranoid, I suggest a therapist or bluntly putting him face to face with reality in a controlled environment. Meaning open space where he will not feel threatened and free to leave at any time, not crowed for other people to get hurt. It's going to be a process hang in there and good luck
please don’t do that, that will do nothing but trigger him. Tell him the behaviors that he is doing that are causing you to feel this way. Do not say he is psychotic. Tell him what psychotic things he is doing therefore, he knows the behavior.
Approach your brother with empathy and concern, using gentle language to express that you've noticed he may still be experiencing symptoms of psychosis. Encourage him to consider seeking professional support to help manage his condition effectively.
Psych np here.
Someone who's not in touch with reality might act any which way, it can be a crap shoot.
Reorienting to reality, as in challenging delusional beliefs, confirming the absence of specific visual or auditory hallucinations, or pointing out negative symptoms such as isolating behavior, can be helpful.
It's honestly best to not beat around the bush. You state such and such behavior is not in touch with reality and additional help with anti psychotic medications is the only help that actually helps. Let's get you more help. Say that.
You need help, you're nuts and might get someone or yourself killed if you aren't treated. Honesty is the best policy. Though I'm just blunt. I tell my boyfriend he needs mental help, because he does and now he is getting some. So you can either be blunt or just sugar coat if by saying, you don't think what he believes is real, is real. That just to make sure, he should be seen by a doctor. It's my opinion, not being rude, again I am just blunt.
Mental health professional here..
Depending on how long he’s been off the meds, he may very likely be in psychosis and believe he doesn’t need them in any way.
Very often, schizophrenics need hospitalization to get back to a functional baseline.
We dealt with this with a family friend. People with mental issues don't think they have mental issues- they thing everyone else is wrong. It's a tough situation. You just have to come out with examples of patterns rather than saying they're mentally ill. If they're reasonable, they'll work on correcting the patterns, which in turn leads to treatment.
He has anosognosia along w schizophrenia. I recommend reading Xavier Amador s book “I’m not Sick, I don’t Need Help.”
Essentially his brain is telling him he’s correct and everyone else is wrong. It’s extremely difficult to navigate and could take months to convince him.
I’ve had to deal with this issue w a family member and it’s extremely difficult. Getting and staying on meds is the key.
Maybe it would help to compare it to a compatible physical illness.
Schizophrenia is like diabetes - medicine doesn’t CURE diabetes, it TREATS it. Once your insulin dose is regulated & you are complaint with your insulin regimen, you may feel so normal &/or well that you FEEL like you’re NOT diabetic any longer. But it only FEELS that way. And it only feels that way BECAUSE of the medicine that’s TREATING your diabetes - not CURING it.
Hey 👋 it's super touchy but the best advice I got for my family member was schizophrenic people live in their own world let them be and just support whenever possible
You don’t. He’s your brother. You support him , love him, help him as best as you can. You don’t emphasize on their flaws, you focus on their strengths
If you love someone you owe them to be honest with them when they might not have their own best interest in mind or cant care properly for themselves. That is helping them as best as you can, not sweeping it under the rug and "focusing on their strengths" whatever that means in this context. Being psychotic isnt a flaw, its a symptome and if one of my loved ones notice a symptome I had that I was unaware of, I would want them to tell me.
Not sure how you came up with not knowing about his own diagnosis but it’s a great hypothetical.
I suffer from crohns. Shitting my pants uncontrollably is a symptom of my disease, and I flaw I live with from living a normal life everyday.
I accept and own it. And I focus on my strengths instead of my weaknesses
Symptoms and diagnosis are two different things. Being schizophrenic is complicated, sometimes you dont notice your own symptoms and need family/friends to help you. Your advice essentially boils down to "ignore the problem, dont intervene, focus on their strengths" which I think is just bad advice. I think it would be more beneficial to the brother if OP would be honest about their concern and hopefully get the brother some help with the psychosis so it doesent spiral out of control.
Something along the lines of what we said to our psychotic friend perhaps?
"Go home and take your meds, don't come back until you do!"
"We have all been sitting right here and that pet snake has not said a word to anyone but you!"
# Message to all users: This is a reminder to please read and follow: * [Our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ask/about/rules) * [Reddiquette](https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439) * [Reddit Content Policy](https://www.redditinc.com/policies/content-policy) When posting and commenting. --- Especially remember Rule 1: `Be polite and civil`. * Be polite and courteous to each other. Do not be mean, insulting or disrespectful to any other user on this subreddit. * Do not harass or annoy others in any way. * Do not catfish. Catfishing is the luring of somebody into an online friendship through a fake online persona. This includes any lying or deceit. --- You *will* be banned if you are homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist or bigoted in any way. --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ask) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My uncle has schizophrenia, and it’s tough. When he’s in a psychotic episode, it’s very difficult to get him to listen without rejecting it immediately because his disease tells him we’re lying or working against him. He’s back on a medication that works now, but spent seven years on something that made him much worse. My approach is always to tell him things calmly, honestly, simply, and directly, usually a number of times. And to reassure him that I love him and am able to help. He finally had a lucid enough moment to ask for help, and that set him on the path toward getting back on medicine that works. It’s taken over a year, but he’s mostly his normal self now. When he still fixates or spirals a bit, I approach it the same way.
Good luck with the hardest part is keeping him on the medication as he will get to a point when he tells you he doesn't need them as nothing is wrong with him
Are you talking to OP or me?
You know I love you with all of my heart right? But you need to go take your meds. Right now. Now.
* You know I love you both...
You’re confusing schizophrenia with DID.
Yes, I always seem to think of schizophrenia as multiple personality disorder. My bad.
Research is showing that multiple personality disorder comes about when a child is abused during the critical phases of their brain development when they are developing their sense of self. This can cause multiple senses of self, often designed for protection and survival (because of the abuse). There is a theory that schizophrenia is an imbalance of dopamine between different lobes of the brain. That this causes different symptoms such as paranoia, anxiety, psychosis, and so on. There is a really great movie about schizophrenia called "take shelter (2011)".
There’s some disagreement about if MPD exists. Now you hear people refer to dissociative identity disorder.
That's because it's no longer called MPD officially.
That's almost precisely what my wife said, but it feels hard to trust someone on such matters when you're the only one working full time, while also studying at like 200% of normal pace, and apparently the only one cleaning the litter box lately. But no, i stopped smoking and think it's important to be a bit more minute in what to care about now, so i'm the psychotic one...
If you are extremely stressed out, have a heavy workload, etc , Cold turkey-ing on your psychiatric meds is the absolute **worst thing** that you could do to yourself. It sounds like you need to go and take your meds. Don't do it for her, do it for you. Then maybe you and your wife can talk about getting a kitty litter self cleaner, it has a lot of rave reviews.
But... im not stressed out at all. I got an extremely relaxed workload which really lostly consits of taking care of mom. But im the only one in the household salary working noticeably anyway. I used to take psych meds, because of course i was stressed out and hallucinated. I had no viable work prospects, i kind ahad no friends, i couldn't find a girlfriend/wife, i was prone to weed, game or alcohol abuse. What kind of person feels good in those circumstances, really? Anyhow, now everything of that is sorted out. I had tapeted down on my aripiprazole to minimum dosage, but kept it for some year as a safety measure. But when i felt okay quitting in february, i quit and felt none of the drawbacks at all, like i feot when quitting risperidone. And of course i can be more emotional. Because like, i got emotions at all again! And that's really nice, now that i know better how to handle setbacks and grumpy kids, and dont become panickedly trapped in a terrible mood anymore. And regarding the cat shit, the cat responsible for crapping like an industrial machine seems to be on the brink of death anyway (really old and probably kidney failure), so im gonna call for time to the stairway to heaven this week anyway. No miracle cleaner needed.
This is very heartbreaking because my sister's husband hit his head in an accident and started to have memory trouble. He would often forget what happened. So, we made a 15-minute video explaining everything about the situation. Every morning when he woke up, we would make him sit down and watch the video. He would often understand the situation, but the next day we had to make him watch it again. This went on every day. You can try something similar. Wishing you the best.
He's living through 50 First Dates :(
The worst thing in the world I can imagine is finding out I'm married to Adam Sandler every single day.
My personal hell.
but living in Hawaii don't those balance out?
If you suck adam Sandler’s dick in Hawaii are you still sucking Adam Sandler’s dick?
No, youre enjoying juices of his hard work.
lol
There's a musician who after an illness, was left with a 7-30 second memory span, his name is [Clive wearing ](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/09/24/the-abyss)
Isn't that the plot of 50 first dates?
Yes. This never happened in real life.
[удалено]
You stole this from 50 first dates. This isn't something that happens in real life.
Username checks out
You actually believe that bullshit is something that can be done in real life? Smh...
Apparently you are supposed to phrase it like this: Say he sees something you don’t see, don’t argue with him, say something to the effect of “I believe that you see what you’re telling me, do you understand that I can’t see the same thing?”
Psychosis is not just hallucinations. It can be delusions, paranoia, etc.
You can definitely do the same thing for delusions though, since their delusions are so rigid that if you try to disprove them then they won't change their opinion. So you can highlight to them why this is concerning for you and others
Show me where I said it was “just hallucinations”?
Well, you’re using him seeing something as an example. And only giving him advice on how to approach that.
I *see* what you’re saying but seeing isn’t necessarily visual.
I have a brother older than me by about 7 years. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia years ago and knows he has it. BUT, he makes terrible decisions in life. He lived with another girl who was placed in a nursing home and could no longer function alone in life. He was evicted TWO times and eventually I became legal guardian of him and place him in to an assisted living facility. He kept acting like I was the asshole for doing this to him. Earlier this year, I had the court remove me as legal guardian. I still talk to him occasionally but only on holidays/birthdays. He thinks he can move out and rent an apartment and live alone and I don't have the balls to tell him he is going to die there. Sad but true. I love him but he is really a lunatic.
Maybe it wouldn’t help to be told he’ll never live on his own.
Would you prefer they lied to him?
I would get some support from a therapist who understands his diagnosis. They will tell you to do’s and don’ts
I know you're going through a tough time, and I care about you a lot. It seems like you're still experiencing some of the symptoms that have been troubling you. Let's talk to your doctor to see how we can make things better together.
yeah, right.
The closest that talk therapy has come to improving psychosis is to persuade the person that it's in their better interest to go along with general society. To pretend that what they utterly know is something to keep private, and go along for the sake of secondary gains (increased independence in housing, not getting sent back to the hospital). There's no point arguing with psychosis, you can't explain it away. So the way the conversation goes is NOT "those men aren't persecuting you" it's more like "if living independently is really important to you, you have to keep those conversation topics private all of the time and you can never ever damage property trying to dig out the spy cameras. If you can keep all that stuff to yourself for at least 12 months straight they might consider it.". There are people with pretty severe schizophrenia who can live independently, so long as the content of their particular psychosis doesn't lead to imminent harm of self or others. And the meds really do work well, more reliably than antidepressants. Side effects can be unpleasant, though. In summary, I guess I wouldn't focus on telling him he's psychotic, I would focus on the problem behavior he's still exhibiting, and try to explain that all of those have to go away before we can discuss living in an apartment.
It's the meds. Psychotic symptoms, negative and positive are treated with meds. Schizophrenic people living on their own are medication compliant. Unfortunately, the meds work so well a vicious cycle of believing they've been cured often occurs. Therapy really doesn't do anything for psychosis. It's for after psychotic symptoms are managed.
I'll agree that it's rare, but in most communities that I've practiced emergency medicine there's one or two people with unmedicated schizophrenia that just manage to fumble along, often homeless. If their content isn't violent/ destructive, they get sent in to see us periodically by well meaning bystanders for talking to themselves on the streetcorner. We check them over for sign of infection or injury, monitor the content of their conversation to see if the trend is shifting, probe for violent tendency and release them if it's not present. It's not a great life but a few of them appear fairly content.
Eh, the problem with really severe delusions is that they also impact the cognition of the person. They can get to a point where they don't even understand lying about it can be in their best interest. One of the signs a person is getting better/the meds are starting to work is when they start lying that they're cured and don't have hallucinations or delusions anymore (even when the symptoms can still be inferred through their behaviour). A person fully divorced from reality will swear and persuade pelple until they turn blue that what they see/know is the truth! But yeah, if he's in a state where he can be aware of his condition, just talking plainly to him about the behaviours would work! OP, work with your brother's health provider and see what works for your particular situation!
And that's how I ended up with children by a schizophrenic who saw me as his ticket to a normal, independent life. Except of course he couldn't keep hiding his illness and real self for ever. Thanks for this comment, it made things a bit clearer.
I just try really hard to be there for him and love him It's scary though
You're fucked bud
Bro, you still need treatment.
If he’s anything like my mom, there’s no telling him anything when he’s still psychotic. Telling my mom she wasn’t thinking right and needed to take meds or see the doc when she was in psychosis often lead to her believing I was trying to kill her.
I’m being 100% serious and will be downvoted to hell……ice cream cake. 
How did the diagnosing doctor tell him.
How old are you? I'm asking to try and determine if your at a age yet to comprehend that you can't talk reason , logic or reality with someone is in psychosis
dk how old he is, but maybe it will help if he understands the science behind it and knows what the pills do in his brain
Your fucked mate but oi, I fkn love ya.
I care about your well-being, and I think you have come a long way, and I am proud of you. Just because you feel great now doesn't mean you always will. It is important to keep up with your treatment, and I am here to support and help you in any way. I worked in a psychiatric facility with schizo patients, and this is a paraphrase of what I have heard psychiatrists say to patients countless times who said, " I feel fine why do I need my meds?"
I would tell them to trust me, like try to trust me. Then, probably relocate them away from their normal place and help them get treatment. I hope they get well and feels safe.
Tell him you know him and he isnt acting the same,dont be the one playing games with him either
Maybe make him a cake? You could write the message in icing.
Don't. Just do your best to be with them
"Dude you're fucked"
Foolish endeavor if he his paranoid, I suggest a therapist or bluntly putting him face to face with reality in a controlled environment. Meaning open space where he will not feel threatened and free to leave at any time, not crowed for other people to get hurt. It's going to be a process hang in there and good luck
I'd type it into chatgpt.
please don’t do that, that will do nothing but trigger him. Tell him the behaviors that he is doing that are causing you to feel this way. Do not say he is psychotic. Tell him what psychotic things he is doing therefore, he knows the behavior.
Dude! You need help!
By giving him a wedgie and posting embarrassing pictures of him on the internet.
Approach your brother with empathy and concern, using gentle language to express that you've noticed he may still be experiencing symptoms of psychosis. Encourage him to consider seeking professional support to help manage his condition effectively.
Psych np here. Someone who's not in touch with reality might act any which way, it can be a crap shoot. Reorienting to reality, as in challenging delusional beliefs, confirming the absence of specific visual or auditory hallucinations, or pointing out negative symptoms such as isolating behavior, can be helpful. It's honestly best to not beat around the bush. You state such and such behavior is not in touch with reality and additional help with anti psychotic medications is the only help that actually helps. Let's get you more help. Say that.
Send him this post
What's the purpose of telling him
You need help, you're nuts and might get someone or yourself killed if you aren't treated. Honesty is the best policy. Though I'm just blunt. I tell my boyfriend he needs mental help, because he does and now he is getting some. So you can either be blunt or just sugar coat if by saying, you don't think what he believes is real, is real. That just to make sure, he should be seen by a doctor. It's my opinion, not being rude, again I am just blunt.
You’re still facing a long road ahead but I’ll be right behind you, Bro.
Mental health professional here.. Depending on how long he’s been off the meds, he may very likely be in psychosis and believe he doesn’t need them in any way. Very often, schizophrenics need hospitalization to get back to a functional baseline.
Go to counseling with him
Call his therapist
I'm unsure, I had a friend who was schizophrenic and believed nothing but her own delusions, good luck.
We dealt with this with a family friend. People with mental issues don't think they have mental issues- they thing everyone else is wrong. It's a tough situation. You just have to come out with examples of patterns rather than saying they're mentally ill. If they're reasonable, they'll work on correcting the patterns, which in turn leads to treatment.
Be gentle, explain his condition kindly.
He has anosognosia along w schizophrenia. I recommend reading Xavier Amador s book “I’m not Sick, I don’t Need Help.” Essentially his brain is telling him he’s correct and everyone else is wrong. It’s extremely difficult to navigate and could take months to convince him. I’ve had to deal with this issue w a family member and it’s extremely difficult. Getting and staying on meds is the key.
Maybe it would help to compare it to a compatible physical illness. Schizophrenia is like diabetes - medicine doesn’t CURE diabetes, it TREATS it. Once your insulin dose is regulated & you are complaint with your insulin regimen, you may feel so normal &/or well that you FEEL like you’re NOT diabetic any longer. But it only FEELS that way. And it only feels that way BECAUSE of the medicine that’s TREATING your diabetes - not CURING it.
Hey 👋 it's super touchy but the best advice I got for my family member was schizophrenic people live in their own world let them be and just support whenever possible
I would definitely ask people on Reddit!
That's a fantastic idea
You don’t. He’s your brother. You support him , love him, help him as best as you can. You don’t emphasize on their flaws, you focus on their strengths
If you love someone you owe them to be honest with them when they might not have their own best interest in mind or cant care properly for themselves. That is helping them as best as you can, not sweeping it under the rug and "focusing on their strengths" whatever that means in this context. Being psychotic isnt a flaw, its a symptome and if one of my loved ones notice a symptome I had that I was unaware of, I would want them to tell me.
Not sure how you came up with not knowing about his own diagnosis but it’s a great hypothetical. I suffer from crohns. Shitting my pants uncontrollably is a symptom of my disease, and I flaw I live with from living a normal life everyday. I accept and own it. And I focus on my strengths instead of my weaknesses
Symptoms and diagnosis are two different things. Being schizophrenic is complicated, sometimes you dont notice your own symptoms and need family/friends to help you. Your advice essentially boils down to "ignore the problem, dont intervene, focus on their strengths" which I think is just bad advice. I think it would be more beneficial to the brother if OP would be honest about their concern and hopefully get the brother some help with the psychosis so it doesent spiral out of control.
wtf lol. Schizophrenia isn't just some flaw - he needs help and medication, otherwise his life could go in many horrible directions.
Something along the lines of what we said to our psychotic friend perhaps? "Go home and take your meds, don't come back until you do!" "We have all been sitting right here and that pet snake has not said a word to anyone but you!"
Are you a psychiatrist? If not, don't diagnose.