My half brother had his first episode around his 20th birthday. I was 8. His behavior still haunts me, we were very close. On a trip to hong kong I met and was

My half brother had his first episode around his 20th birthday. I was 8. His behavior still haunts me, we were very close. On a trip to hong kong I met and was subsequently stalked by a schizophrenic girl for 3 years and I also worked briefly in a psych ward. People with the disorder can drift in and out of health. On some level their symptoms are related to stress (and meds), so you can have a normal conversation one day and the next they can become obsessed with ghosts living in the shower. I guess the hardest part is that when they seem somewhat cognizant at first in a conversation. They initially try very hard to concentrate and can make a fair bit of sense, but after a few minutes they start getting a little fuzzy around the edges, drifting off, mumbling to themselves talking about things that didn't happen etc. Eventually they start confusing you with jesus or a dead relative. I could go on with incidents... It can be incredibly disturbing. I have nightmares about the behavior, its just too much. I once talked to a psychiatrist who told me its better off separating yourself. Its really hard to do (and this comic doesn't help, its misleading) but spending any amount of time trying to cope with it and rationalize ends in frustration and sadness.