Hello bzm,

Rehab could indeed be necessary for someone who can't kick the drugs on her own.

Remember, it's an addiction, and a powerful one.

As to why she's shaved her eyebrows,t hat could be acting out, or it could be symptomatic of the schizophrenia, or even something else.

Your admission that she was on heavy doses of Hashish confirms to me that her drug use possibly caused the schizophrenia.  She needs to be treated for both diseases, and like I said, there could be relapses, and a numbere of relapses, before she gets clean.

If she lacks awareness that she has schizophrenia, this could be a symptom of the illness, called anosognosia, that affects up to 50 percent of people with this diagnosis.  Because she's not aware, she lacks the insight that treatment is necessary.

Thus, rehab and enforced treatment, while she will resist it, could benefit her.  You alluded to the fact that she disappears for a long time.

I suggest you read Xavier Amador's book, I Am Not Sick, I Dont' Need Help, which coaches people in how to talk to their loved ones and friends who resist treatment for their schizophrenia.  Amador's technique, motivatinal interview, was indeed first used with people recovering from substance abuse. 

It requires that you develop a relationship of trust with the person, and when the time is right, ask them what their goals in life are and ask them if they'd like to hear your suggestions about how they could achieve the goals, and then, when this trust is built, you suggest medication for the schizophrenia and staying clean from the drugs.

It will not happen overnight, it will not be easy, yet your friend could recover if she's motivated to do so.  Remember, people get a payoff from their behaviors, including drug use, and you have to understand that it will take time for your friend to change her peceptions of what she needs to do to have a good life.

Again, I wish you and your friend well.

All the best,

cb