I admire your compassion for your fellow human being. I mean that sincerely. I also have a word of warning: >"hey, buddy, sorry you're having a hard time, bu

I admire your compassion for your fellow human being. I mean that sincerely. I also have a word of warning: >"hey, buddy, sorry you're having a hard time, but I don't see any RF orgies being beamed to you. Have you talked to a doctor?" Is a potentially dangerous thing to say to the genuinely ill. Like you said, no one can talk someone out of it, just like you can't talk a diabetic out of an insulin crisis. It is a physical ailment. While most schizophrenics are not violent, some are, and the ones that are can be deadly so. One of my high school teachers, who was a wonderful, warm woman, was recently murdered by her schizophrenic son during one of his episodes. He had never been violent before, but his breaks from reality were getting worse, and one day, that was enough. Just be careful of your own self, too, when offering a hand of help.