I believe my boyfriend is bipolar and/or schizophrenic.  I have 3 schizophrenics in my family so I have grown up around it and can identify some of the symptoms.  We're trying to get medical assistance so he can get some treatment, but in the meantime, what's the best way to deal with him?

These episodes happen about once a week and can last for a few hours.  He's paranoid.  He thinks everyone, including me, is out to kill him or just keep him eternally unhappy.  If I don't respond to his accusations it means I'm in on it, if I deny his accusations, it means I'm in on it.  Sometimes he's up all night and sometimes he sleeps for 14 hours.  He says he hears 100 voices at a time in his head and can't think straight.  When he gets in those moods he doesn't want to be touched, but he doesn't want to be left alone.  All I want to do is hold him when he gets depressed. 

He had an episode last night and I only got an hour of sleep before work this morning.  I don't feel like I helped him at all, but I felt like if I just would have gone to the spare bedroom to sleep I wouldn't be very supportive.  Sometimes, I get frustrated and end up yelling at him or calling him an idiot for the ridiculous things he believes.  I try to remind him that he doesn't feel this way all the time; that just a few hours ago he didn't think anyone was going to hurt him.  Only when some outside stressor sets it off.  Should I just leave him alone or sit by his side and listen to him all night, and possibly end up getting irritated come 5 in the morning and making matters worse?

He recognizes that he behaves this way and wants to get treatment and medication.  When he's not in one of these moods he's one of the happiest people I've seen.  He gets excited about cleaning the bathroom or cooking dinner.  He says most of the time he doesn't remember the things that he says - he just sees light.  I don't know what he's going through so it's hard for me to be understanding.