Hello Concerned friend,   From what you've said, thinking her food is poisoned or that her house is bugged, people with schizophrenia sometimes have these symptoms and related ones.   I would not try to convince her that she is sick and that these things really aren't happening.  Someone with SZ who believes their delusions are real doesn't often have the ability to understand that the beliefs are false.   Sometimes a person who is on SZ meds doesn't get total symptom relief and there could be residual symptoms, like paranoia or delusions.  We would all like for everyone with SZ to be free of all their symptoms, and sometimes this doesn't happen, or takes awhile to happen.  Most likely, at different points in the life of someone with SZ, they will have some kind of residual symptom even when they're taking the medication.   You may think if you refrain from telling her that she's sick, you'll be aiding in her delusions.  That is not true.  Delusions are firmly entrenched and cannot easily be shaken.  Some people who take medication [I am one of them] find enough symptom relief that we no longer believe in our delusions.  I would like this to happen for your friend, as I'm sure you would.   If your friend has SZ and has been on the medication for a long enough time to have seen the best benefits she'd get from it, her doctor may decide to change the dose [increase it] or switch her to another medication.  Like I tell everyone who writes in to the Connection, it's often trial-and-error to find the best SZ drug that works for one individual.  New drugs are coming out on the market too, so her doctor shouldn't stop trying all the drugs until she finds better rielief if that will be possible.   I know someone who heard voices and the Zyprexa didn't stop them, but after her doctor switched her to another atypical drug, the voices stopped cold and she never heard them again.   So I urge you not to give up hope.  If your friend trusts you, and you feel you want to do this [I'm not going to tell you what to do], you could ask her about the medication she's on.  However, it's her right to keep certain things private.  You want to help her I understand.  And hopefully she'll trust you enough to consider what you have to say.   Also, there are some medical conditions that cause symptoms similar to SZ, so any doctor would have to do bloodwork to rule out or confirm she has SZ.   Once again, I urge you not to give up hope.  If she isn't on medication for SZ, and you feel she trusts you, you could suggest going with her to see a professional.  Also, she could possibly be under a lot of stress for one reason or another which could be leading to these false beliefs and delusions.   The last thing I want you to take away is that if you friend has SZ and isn't being treated with medication, she will need to get in treatment quickly.  The sooner someone with SZ gets treatment via drugs and therapy, the better the outcome.   Best regards, Christina