Effects - Possible Schizophrenia and want to try mushrooms....HELP!

[Enlightenment]

A friend of SWIM's, who SWIM would love to try shrooms with, has recently been telling me secretly that he has been having auditory hallucinations, such as hearing music, and loud bangs that wake disturb greatly, but no one else hears these things, ie his roommate. On top of that, he has had severe insomnia.
SWIM got to thinking about how his friend is 18 or 19, and how this could possibly be an early stage of schizophrenia/bipolar disorder....and he is REALLY interested in gooming.
SWIM doesnt know how to scare him out of doing shrooms because he is so interested in them, but from everything SWIM has heard, this could be a serious, life-changing mistake that his friend could be making.
What should SWIM tell his friend?

[nnizzle]

First of all what is gooming? Is that supposed to mean ingesting mushrooms?
Anyway, SWIM should seriously reconsider taking mushrooms or any other psychedelic for that matter. Auditory hallucinations could very well be a sign of a mental disorder manifesting itself, and as SWIY said, about 18-22 years of age is when most people start showing the first signs of schizophrenia or most mood disorders. Just for the record, auditory hallucinations are not all too common in any mental disorder excluding schizophrenia. Sometimes people with bipolar disorder will have hallucinations/delusions, but SWIM has read probably only about 15% of suffererers from ALL mood disorders have auditory hallucinations, whereas 70% of people with schizophrenia have auditory hallucinations. Insomnia is also a common symptom of mood disorders and schizophrenia has a VERY wide variety of symptoms which could include insomnia.
But in terms of taking psychedelics, SWIM could would never ever advise this to someone with a mental disorder unless in certain situations ie giving LSD to an alcoholic in order to help them gain insight into themselves (ie why they drink and what are the consequences). The brain is a resilient but highly sensitive organ. Normal cognitive function is still not even close to completely understood, therefore abnormal function is even more difficult to understand. No one could say what exactly will happen if SWIYfriend takes psychedelics when he believes he is showing early signs of a mental disorder. Perhaps nothing bad will happen, or perhaps taking mushrooms will worsen the symptoms or bring about the full-blown disorder. Biological theories of mental disorders usually have to do with an abnormality in brain functions, most notably in the workings of specific neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. As these systems are (probably) already malfunctioning, bombarding them with incredibly powerful psychedelic drugs could have serious consequences.
In conclusion, PLEASE DO NOT ALLOW YOUR FRIEND TO TAKE PSYCHEDELICS WITHOUT FIRST CONSULTING A PROFESSIONAL ABOUT HIS AUDITORY HALLUCINATIONS AND INSOMNIA, AS THESE COULD BE A SIGN OF A SERIOUS MENTAL DISORDER.

[Amnesia]

Is SWIY's friend only having these hallucinations as he is falling asleep or when waking up? If so, these are called hypnagogic hallucinations and are very common even among psychologically normal people, especially when sleep deprived. SWIM has yet to meet someone who has not suffered from this at least once in their life.

If SWIY's friend is also displaying changes in personality such as paranoia, exuberance, severe irritability, boundless energy, pressured speech, thought disorder, obsessions etc (not necessarily all of these), then it may well be a sign of a mental health problem.

Either way SWIM would have to agree with this:

Originally Posted by nnizzle

In conclusion, PLEASE DO NOT ALLOW YOUR FRIEND TO TAKE PSYCHEDELICS WITHOUT FIRST CONSULTING A PROFESSIONAL ABOUT HIS AUDITORY HALLUCINATIONS AND INSOMNIA, AS THESE COULD BE A SIGN OF A SERIOUS MENTAL DISORDER.

Mushrooms are direct 5HT receptor stimulants. If a mental health problem is present in SWIY's friend, especially bipolar disorder, this could exacerbate the illness and/or cause a manic episode.

SWIM hopes this has been helpful and hopes SWIY's friend stays well.

[Enlightenment]

No, SWIM doesn't think that they are hypnagogic hallucinations, or at least SWIM doesn't think so. And yes, SWIM knows that it is uncommon for people with bipolar disorder etc to "hear voices", but SWIM has plenty of bipolar disorder, and some schizo in his family, and knows that it is a possibility. Basically, SWIM was feeling like this individual is on his way to schizophrenia already (judging by the few, visible symptoms), and wanted to confirm that he needed to be serious in telling his friend not to mess around with psychedelics, or at the very least talk to a professional first.

Nonetheless, thank you for reassuring SWIM. SWIM's going to tell him not to shroom. SWIM would feel TERRIBLE if his friend took them and then his symptoms got worse. if he does, SWIM will tell him to let him know if he does, so he can hurry his ass up and sit for his friend!
haha and yes, "gooming" is another way of referring to the ingestation of mushrooms.

[Phenoxide]

I realize this thread is now a couple of weeks old, but just thought it'd be worth adding that auditory hallucinations can also be triggered by physical abnormalities in the brain (i.e. tumors or lesions). If the friend is worried and these symptoms have persisted for more than a few days then it might be worth SWIY heavily suggesting that they get it checked out to rule out that possibility.

Admittedly the motives behind this idea are slightly sneaky. Chances are it's not a tumor, but this is also a way of trying to get the friend onto the doctor's radar. Hopefully that way if there is a mental disorder manifesting then it'll go on the record and can be treated appropriately. Even in the early stages of the disorder, schizophrenics tend to be very resistant to seeking medical advice, so presenting a possibility that isn't a mental disorder may encourage them to seek help. SWIY won't be able to keep the friend away from drugs forever, so it'd probably be wise to at least try and get some medical supervision for the friend.