Schizophrenia is no joke.
We’ve had to call the police several times on some of the homeless folks who hang out around our church. When they’re experiencing a full blown episode, they’re completely separated from the real world.
It’s sad and frightening at the same time.
It’s a terrible disease. Affects the whole family; I’ve known of a couple such instances. And long-term psych hospitals are almost impossible to find, thanks to the “mainstreaming” concept. One of my friends has a son in a facility now - took weeks to get him in.
It’s no joke, but it is possible to be both clinically nuts and legally sane at the time of a criminal act.