My best friend keeps complaining to me about having really bad nightmares (someone is always following her or trying to kill her) and thoughts (like when she gets home at night and it is quite she thinks someone has killed her parents and they are lying in their bed murdered). When we go away every little noise makes her jump!
Is something wrong with her? I want to help her, but I don't know how! Should she see a doctor? What kind of a doctor? What can I do to help her?
Thanks in advance.
Last edited by cgarb; 02-14-2006 at 01:45 PM.
Reason: Hit enter too quick.
It sounds like she could have some type of paranoia. She should see a psychiatrist and let them know she is having those bad thoughts. She shouldn't have to feel that way. I have paranoid thoughts and I don't know if I have schizophrenia (was going to ask in another post). I do have anxiety, Bi-polar disorder, and OCD. It is a problem and your friend should get help for it. I hope she does.
I agree, it sounds farmiliar to paranoia. But it doesn't mean it is related to actual psychosis. Seeing a doctor can help, but if it is more of a personality or result of trauma, therapy would benefit more than medication.
Either way, talking to someone (school counselor, regular doctor, actual psychiatrist), anyone in the power to help, is a good idea.
Yes, that's true. Seeing a therapist first might be a better idea. They could probably determine whether it is something that would require medication or whether it's something that can be talked/worked out.
Well don't forget, our brains behave very differently when we're asleep than when we're awake. Dreams can mean a host of different things. Sometimes they can work simply as a filter, for dealing with stuff you experience during the day. Some of mydreams seem to clear space in myhead. I often dream about things that are fleeting and happen almost subconsciously.
Sometimes dreams can be a way of dealing with stress in everyday life and it sounds like this is what's going on with your friend. It sounds like she's got a lot of anxiety about life and the world. It actually sounds more like she suffers some kind of anxiety than full blown schizophrenia. It could be something totally different or it could be the onset of a psychotic illness. She would probably benefit from some kind of help. Regardless of what it is she's dealing with, it's disrupting her life and causing her strain. She should see someone.
What is this???? 
