Q: how dangerous is a strong, 19 yr old malewith schizophrenia who is not on any medication or therapy?
Hello Lee Opp,
When not on medication for schizophrenia, a person with this illness could be violent.
If you read Xavier Amador's "Lessons Learned" column in the fall 2008 Schizophrenia Digest, he talks exactly about the statistics about violence and people with schizophrenia who don't take their meds.
I wish I could tell you that violence is absolutely, positively not a problem, but the truth is, people with schizophrenia who don't take their meds could be more violent than if they were taking medication for their condition.
That's the reality.
Regards,
Christina
I assume you are talking about someone other than yourself? Most 19 year old males are quite strong physically and could pose a threat if they tend toward violence when not on antipsychotics. In most cases, though, people with schizophrenia are not violent toward others -- they pose a more severe hazard to themselves than others if unmedicated. But if you are concerned about this person, share your concern and offer to accompany him to the doctor of his choice, preferably a psychiatrist.
Carolyn
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