I witnessed a college roomate's decent into schizophrenia.
He was heavy into drugs, spirituality and philosophy. Nice guy, had some awesome discussions with him, but was also very idealistic and ungrounded. Also seemed to have a holier-than-thou vibe about him.
Senior year we (me, him and three others) decide to get a house together. Everything is cool, but then he gets physically sick and has to leave school for a few weeks. The stress of having to take time off and recently breaking up with his girlfriend caused him to have a nervous breakdown, which we know little about other than he was strapped down to a hospital bed and may have physically threatened his girlfriend.
He finally comes back, heavily mediated. He seems a dull and eerily calm version of himself. Just kind of queit and off. Things are relatively normal until he starts inviting freshman kids into our house and smoking them up with blunts. Like grungy, thuggish kids. Whatever, guy always had his own set of friends on the side, carry on I guess.
But then he started on about how the stock market was going to crash in like 2 days and we needed to invest in Texas Toast or some ridiculous shit. He told this to everyone, like went around campus warning people.
Finally one night we're all sitting around he table having a beer or two and he starts talking about his nervous breakdown. He said he found a rock in a river while he was running through the woods away from the police, and it was a special rock he hoped to find again. He then went into explaining how to get a girl off via the top of her skull, which transitioned into his dream about a house fire that he believed happened in real life because of his dream. That's when it started getting sketchy. He started getting emotional and angry, between cryptic nonsense he started talking about how he was responsible for a house fire that happened down the road, which actually happened IRL, but he said it started because of his dream, and that he's "not a bad person."
Then he started talking about how his friend is the "supreme judge of good and evil" but he can't be around him anymore because he tries to involve him in gay threesomes. He keeps going on and on until he leaves the room, comes back and accuses us of snooping through his room and finding his box of...sexual stuff...we had no idea about this box until he told us...then he accused another of my roomate's of trying to molest him. At this point we are all speechless. My one Roomate retreats upstairs, he was buggin out. I'm sitting there talking to my sane Roomate about wtf is going on while the one who is losing it periodically comes in and out of the room to either threaten us or apologize.
Then he follows my Roomate upstairs, and says something like "I'm gonna see you burn, burn in a hospital bed like I did."
He then came back down and explained to us that he basically sold his soul to the devil in that hospital bed.
Yeah
So that was it for my one friend, he noped the fuck out and slept at his girl's after that. I convinced crazy to go to bed, saying that he seemed "tired" and stressed and should get some sleep. He agreed. I literally slept with a pocket knife under my pillow that night.
That next night he's just as bad. This time I confront him a bit, tell him he's been acting funny and should maybe call home. He gets hostile with me "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I'M AS GOOD AS I'VE EVER BEEN. YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE HAVE BEEN UP MY FUCKING ASS LATELY AND IT'S PISSING ME OFF!!"
At this point I'm eyeing the set of kitchen knives drying on the rack next to him, while plotting my escape. I'm also realizing this kid is fucking big. Now if my life depended on it I can fight/escape from a bigger kid and have an ok chance. But a kid who literally believes he is essentially God? Who's implying that he has supernaturally abilities?
I tell him straight up, "bro, your scaring me right now dude." Not gonna lie I couldn't help but sound like a pussy. Had a lump in my throat. This wasn't some mugger, this kid was irrational and insane and all it would take was some voice in his head to go "get him" and that was it.
"I'M SCARING YOU? ME!? FUCK YOU ____!!!" He screamed in my face before retreating to his room and slamming the door.
Yeah.
So I'm packin my shit to go to my girl's, and my other Roomate knocks on my door, bag in hand.
"____ just called the cops, they're coming over, let's get the fuck outta here."
We walk out the front door to find John on the stoop, waiting patiently for the cops. At this moment I see the old John coming through, so i try one last time to talk to him.
He said he knew he was fucked up, and I told him I just worried about him and I had no agenda and just wanted to help. We shook hands. Silent for a moment, then he stands up, walks off, yells "don't follow me!!"
Cops found him later that night on a bench in the park. Haven't heard from him since. Doesn't answer anyone's messages, but posts to Facebook occasionally.