• mum contacting early intervention team

• Understanding that something is wrong but not being too pushy

• Not being judgemental

• Friends trying to bring back some normality

• Talking and meeting up with friends

Hinders

• dad dismissing his feelings and suggesting that he’s lazy and should just get a job

• Pushing carl to speak when he is not comfortable yet

• Saying that he has psychosis in an environment in which he can hear which led to him getting aggressive

Anxiety

Paranoia

Not eating

Aggressive behaviours

Talking about him as if he’s not there, pushing him to talk, telling him he’s got psychosis, trying to force him to understand that everything is ‘just in his head’

Helps,

Allowing him to take his time in opening up, offering him opportunities to engage without pressure to do so, active listening, being there when needed.

At the same time, Carl began using substances like alcohol and what was referred to as “strong stuff” (ikely cannabis) and there were also hints of caffeine misuse. It seemed like he was using these to cope with how he was feeling, but they ultimately made things worse. The substance use may have affected his ability to concentrate and potentially contributed to the development of psychosis, especially considering how vulnerable he already was.

Another important factor was how isolated he became. Carl didn’t accept help from his friends or anyone else, even though people were clearly worried about him. He completely withdrew and started to experience hallucinations and delusional thinking, but he ignored these early signs. It felt like he was trapped in his own head, unable or unwilling to let anyone in.

What really stood out to me was the difference it made when his mum approached him in a calm, non-judgmental way. Rather than putting pressure on him, she let him know she was there if he needed her. That simple reassurance made a real difference - it was only then that Carl began to open up and accept support. This really shows how important it is to take a compassionate, patient approach when supporting someone going through something like this.

A few of the comments also mentioned that Carl might have a family history of psychosis, and that some of his symptoms (like seeing patterns in things and interpreting hidden meanings ) are quite typical in early stages of psychosis. Altogether, his story highlights how academic stress, isolation, and substance misuse can all build up and lead to a serious mental health crisis, but also how supportive, non-judgmental care can make a big difference in helping someone turn things around.

At the same time, Carl began using substances like alcohol and what was referred to as “strong stuff” (ikely cannabis) and there were also hints of caffeine misuse. It seemed like he was using these to cope with how he was feeling, but they ultimately made things worse. The substance use may have affected his ability to concentrate and potentially contributed to the development of psychosis, especially considering how vulnerable he already was.

Another important factor was how isolated he became. Carl didn’t accept help from his friends or anyone else, even though people were clearly worried about him. He completely withdrew and started to experience hallucinations and delusional thinking, but he ignored these early signs. It felt like he was trapped in his own head, unable or unwilling to let anyone in.

What really stood out to me was the difference it made when his mum approached him in a calm, non-judgmental way. Rather than putting pressure on him, she let him know she was there if he needed her. That simple reassurance made a real difference - it was only then that Carl began to open up and accept support. This really shows how important it is to take a compassionate, patient approach when supporting someone going through something like this.

A few of the comments also mentioned that Carl might have a family history of psychosis, and that some of his symptoms (like seeing patterns in things and interpreting hidden meanings ) are quite typical in early stages of psychosis. Altogether, his story highlights how academic stress, isolation, and substance misuse can all build up and lead to a serious mental health crisis, but also how supportive, non-judgmental care can make a big difference in helping someone turn things around.