paranoid schizophrenic neighbour-is he dangerous?

Well whether he is dangerous or not depends much of what stage is his paranoid schizophrenia so why don't you discuss it with his parents or whoever he lives with so you should gain more info regarding this paranoid schizophrenic neighbor-try to get familiar with his condition so if needed you could have some precautions steps to protect your family for you know being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia might easily happen your neighbor is dangerous. I hope he takes his meds regularly but if you ask me whenever someone ends up in hospital for this reason it is a sign that he may be dangerous for you know those patients don't live in real world and might have those sudden attacks when they are dangerous for others as for yourself.

Hi, I am a paranoid shcizophrenic and i am not dangerous, but it depends from person to person.
schizophrenics prefer to be left alone as voices, delusions, and thoughts of persecution is what is running through the mind of this person.

he will NOT hurt you or anyone else as he is more likely to be a danger to himself. this is why people are sectioned. rarely someone is a danger to others.

hope this helps

x

My daughter is schizophrenic with paranoid delusions and psychotic features. When she was 14 she was having homicidal fantasies which she told me about. At the psychiatrist’s office I asked if I should be concerned he said yes, very concerned and suggested I Baker Act her (I did not at that time; it became extremely necessary later on. Three ghosts were visiting her (so she thought) and they were telling her to kill. They said if she did then they would leave her alone. At least three times she tried. I used to get my little daughter (7) and barricade us in my bedroom at night. With the proper meds and maturing that is behind us, for the most part. Bottom line: if s/he is on adequate meds you are safe; if not….

I have a sister who is more than 20 years younger than I am, she's a teen now. She has schizophrenia and has harmed herself numerous times, but her condition has elevated to where she has threatened to murder my daughter. She once told lies to some people who all ganged up on her about a year ago. Some people with schizophrenia are harmless however some are a real danger. I'd be worried if I were you. My sister gets treatment and is on medication, but still she poses a threat. Her behavior is very unpredictable.

No, most likely he is not. Schizophrenia is actually not a dangerous disorder the majority of the time regardless of their specific diagnoses. Actually, the main ones you should worry about would be the Disorganized type, not Paranoid. Their behavior is unpredictable, as someone has said, but it's really a stereotype that Schizophrenics are dangerous.
Also, the Guest who posted about all those Psychotic people that tried to do this and that, those people sound MANIC, not Schizophrenia. Most likely the people that person was describing were Bi-Polar or Antisocial. Both are much more dangerous to others than Schizophrenia. And a Schizophrenic generally will not throw a fit about a cigarette being tossed onto their property, someone who goes crazy about that is most likely, again, ANTISOCIAL.
I'm educated in all Mental Disorders (fifth year Psychology major).
You can't really listen to that person anyways because they couldn't even spell SCHIZOPHRENIA.
AND PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE YOUR NEIGHBOR!
"NEVER ENGAGE THEM IN CONVERSATION" That has got to be the RUDEST comment I think I've ever seen. Schizophrenics are people as well and ignoring does nothing but upset them, as it should!
He is more of a danger to himself than you or your children.

Your kid is 14, If you have raised him right he will be FINE, If however he is a brat and eggs this guy/girl on there will be a problem, I'm paranoid and schizophrenic and it is an extremely common dissorder. you should be just as worried that your other neighbor is secretly a serial killer... its just as likely as this person is a dangerous schizophrenic, we are just as scared of you as you are of us...

I am also a ps, When I go nuts I allways remember afterwards that I would rather hurt myself than others, even insects. I wouldnt worry to much about your nieghbor. As the poster above said bipolars are far more dangerous that ps's.

I am a paranoid Schizophrenic and don't consider myself dangerous at all. I work, socialize and look after myself without any input from doctors apart from my GP to fill out my prescription. I live a productive life and it is getting better each year. Don't be afraid of people like me who just want to get along and get better, or like others who have the same diagnosis but are off their meds, in all likelihood they are more concerned with people seemingly acting weird towards them. Treat them as normal people,  we need that.

I cannot believe the ignorance of some people. are you aware that statistically those living with a psychotic illness are more likely to commit suicide or self harm rather than attack your children!!!!!!!. Again, evidence suggests that you are more likely to be attacked from a member of the public drunk on a weekend than get harmed by a schizophrenic. Bearing in mind these are individuals and not an illness and it is because of negative attitudes (largely oweing to the media) that individuals are excluded from society due to the ignorance of members of the public. there are thousand of people receiving care in the community as opposed to psychiatric hospital who live independent and succesful lives. So yes a tiny percentage of those who have a mental illness harm others (clunis etc) although we do not hear about the success stories of care in the community. stop discriminating against people who have a disability. Instead go over to your neighbour say hello, get to know him and you never know (tongue in cheek) he may even say hello back which will give you the opportunity to see that the paranoid schizophrenic is a man, brother, father, son who is an individual who is receiving help a disability that he lives with. Please .......................... (oh and sod speaking to his parents and family ask him he probably won't bite!!!!!

I am a paranold schizophrenic and I never have ever giving one thought of hurting others in fact I hear suggestions that say talk to their neighbor but for a paranold person that is the worst advice there is because a paranold person does not want to be approached because our first thought is that the person who approached me is out to get me and the best thing you can do for a paranold person is let him be a schizophrenic likes to be in their own world and some of those voices are their friends harmless but there are some vioces though that tell us to hurt our selves those are the ones that we need to take medication to keep from listening too and I have heard people say that there is a cure there is none and as we get older the paranold gets worse and the need for medicine is more serious than ever I have never met a real paranold schizophrenic who can live a normal life without medication because if they can then they really are not a paranold schizophrenic and there problem may lie in the bi-polar or anxiety disorder I have been hospitalized several times and 90% of the time you have gotten this decease from a family member maybe not directly it could be a grand parent or an uncle it is a chemicle imbalance and I know that I can never be able to live a normal life again as people are always watching me as I am talking to myself outloud and life the song from matchbox 20 "UNWELL" meaning how I am living my life on the edge not normal but no where near crazy so next time you see one of your neighbors who are paranold schizophrenic let him be he will not harm you infact you probably would not even be able to tell him from a normal person unless he told you.

I have schizoaffective disorder(which is paranoid schizphrenia and bi-polar mix, manic-depressive typing for me) just because he has been hospitalized doesn't mean it was because he was dangerous. he might not have been able to deal with his symptoms and thought he should be hospitalized. the kind of thinking that everyone with schizophrenia and related disorders is dangerous is ignorent thinking,and just makes it worse for us. chances are ,any other person in your building, will attack you and your children. so if you really want to be scared of something,be scared of the people you think are sane. you would be suprised how many people with schizophrenia and related disorders there are walking around with good jobs.  doctors,nurses,lawers ect. and you "normals" have no clue. I personally keep my disability to myself and only tell those I trust. especially since the guy cut the head off the passenger on the bus. you "normals" see it as him murdering a man. when in fact(to him)he was killing a demon that was going to hurt everyone on that bus. he was trying to protect them,and in his mind he was doing the right thing. but you "normals" wouldn't understand that. and because you can't, it makes our lives harder and we feel the need to hide. I'm more scared of you people than I am of my fellow "insane" counterparts. I've been beaten up,harrased,called names,publicly humiliated,all because I have a disorder that the general public deems dangerous. but the news doesn't show that do they. I had to move out of the town I'm from,away from my friends and family because of ingnorence.  and If you wonder why I use "normals" like this. It's because I think the people who are considered "sane" are crazier than us. funny thing is my doctor agrees. and if I sound angry it's because I am. I've had more problems than most because of ignorence. And I'd love it to stop,but it's highly unlikley.

I can answer your question in what will seem like a round-about way, but I think the odd context here is important.

I never really knew about "paranoids" until living with a girlfriend. She was terrified that the guy upstairs was spying on us all the time - she thought he had listening devices and pinhead cameras in the walls and was following us from room to room.

It was absolutely insane. I couldn't believe how crazy she was. The only way I could make her feel comfortable was to keep her interacting with me, to not "give in" to her fears (e.g. not help her build barricades).  I had to keep acting normal, never be nervous, and keep the momentum of normalcy marching forward no matter what.  It was so much work and I couldn't understand what was making her suspect that our neighbor cared so much about our lives.  I mean, at the root of paranoia is an apparent ego trip.  I kept telling her we are not important enough for anyone to be so obsessed with us. She would make me walk upstairs and knock on the neighbor's door to talk to him so she could hear the normal sounds of everyday life and relax knowing he wasn't following us around and recording everything.

I saw the fear she lived in - she wasn't going to hurt anyone unless they came in the apartment unexpectedly.  She had knives under every piece of furniture and one on her at all times.  If she ever were to use it, I could see it wouldn't have been hunting anyone down.  It would have been her defending herself, or thinking she was.  She was only dangerous to those who surprised her, I would say.

After months of wondering how she could imagine the guy upstairs was doing these inconceivable things, a really really really odd twist happened.

The police and an ambulance were called and my girlfriend was inside the apartment, silent, scared.  I was sure she called them on the neighbor.

Turns out the upstairs neighbor called the police - he was 5150'd for being a paranoid (in California this is an involuntary mental illness detainment and evaluation of I believe 72 hours possibly two weeks).   Over the course of that year, the guy upstairs was taken away several times by the police.  It turns out my paranoid girlfriend was RIGHT - the guy upstairs was indeed recording us and had a contraption would move his hidden cameras around. 

The point of this is that they are dangerous when they are scared.  And they are hallucinating everything except when another paranoid is present.  What a mess!

I realise the orginal post was a few years ago but this is for the benefit of anyone else who may come along and read this thread.

I have worked with people with many different mental health problems for a number of years and my husband still works with them now.  He works with over 50 clients with serious illnesses and has done for more than 10 years.  In all that time only once has he been threatened with a knife and the incident although serious was not major and he was able to calm that indvidual down.  The vast majority of people suffering with ANY mental health disorder are not a particular danger to others - yes they may act very strangely, say very strange things and even make threats when they are ill but by far the majority are no more dangerous than you or me. Actually people suffering mental health disorders are far more likely to be taken advantage of by criminally inclined people than people in the general population, they are usually a vulnerable group of people. 

For anyone who is concerned I would offer this advice:
1. Don't label anyone based on any particular diagnoses be it Paranoid or Disorganised Schizophrenic, Bi-Polar disorder or whatever. People are people first and foremost. Everyone is an individual and the person you are concerned about is just as much an individual as you are.
2. Try to get to know the person politely, especially when they are well and then you will get a sense of what sort of person they are. Some people are just a nasty piece of work because that is who they are, not because they are ill.  But bear in mind sufferers of mental health disorders are often hugely discriminated against and often mistreated.  Some people may be nervous of strangers reactions to them.
3. The main complicating factors are obviously relapses in the illness or drug/alcohol abuse, educate yourself about that particular individual so that you know when they are actually ill/unmediated. Don’t be surprised/worried about odd behaviour within certain limits, odd speech, dress, thoughts etc Don't overreact to this, even when someone is on their medication it probably won’t prevent all the symptoms, it just keeps it to a manageable level.
4. If someone is suffering a psychotic episode (this just means suffering a break from reality and has nothing to do with going 'psycho' or 'psychopathic') then it is important to remember DONT FREAK OUT - schizophrenics say and do some really weird stuff when suffering psychosis but this doesn't mean they are dangerous. I know one guy who regularly says he is the prince of demons, even when he is relatively stable, it is just an odd expression that roughly translates as "I feel on top of the world" nothing more, just sounds a bit freaky at first. He also shouts "Get out Satan!" at his voices but again you get used to it, it is just an odd way of expressing himself and does not mean he is dangerous. If you think someone is becoming worse in their symptoms an may be suffering a breakdown then get the number of your local mental health team or call the police to let them know. Early intervention can help a person who is getting ill.
5. If you are legitimately concerned for your safety just take sensible precautions - don't be on your own with someone who is unwell, never threatened or otherwise increase their fear (which is the primary driving force behind the violent acts), remain non-confrontational, get a professional or the police to deal with difficult situations.

My brother has been a PS for the last 11 years. He is now 27. It's very difficult living with a PS so he has lived alone for the last 6 years. I would have never thought of him as being dangerous despite all of his delusional talk about being followed and surveillance and unplugging phones etc etc. He has spoken about guns a lot and has all of these adolescent drawings of so called high tech weapons that he is designing for the military. He recently asked my dad to buy him a safe to protect his precious drawings as people were after then. Recently he has been carrying knives, a hammer, baseball bat and a golf club for 'protection' he broken into our grandmothers and bashed her partner and has discovered that if he threatens family he can get money. He has been having work on his car by a mechanic and because of his mental state he is constantly thinking that they are doing a bad job so our dad is having to go over things with him to show him that there are no loose bolts etc as he imagines. He was harassing the mechanic so much that he took out an apprehended violence order in him. He was ringing my dad up over the last week saying he is going to hunt him down and bash him if he doesn't fix his car and pay for it. He drives a sports car and speeds around saying he has a cloaking device so that the speed radar can't catch him. He basically held our dad hostage in his own home the last three days. One of the nights he was yelling out the window to the dark 'I can see you! I'm coming to get you' then took off after this delusion with a hammer and a knife. My dad went to leave yesterday and was beaten with a golf club. The police finally responded after receiving multiple complaints from family over the last couple of weeks. It is so sad they it has to come to violence for him to get help as he goes off his medication thinking he is being drugged by some government agency. I don't know what the family are going to do this time after he gets released from mental health and is 'normal' again for a time. I see him as a real threat to our family but he will be all Alone if he doesn't have us. It's an extremely sad existence for some as he reacts so negatively if anyone tells him to take his meds etc. Nobody can help him without it coming to this and being dragged away by the police like it has happened the last several times :(