A childhood friend (27/M) of mine is having a rough time right now. I started to notice that something was off when he talked about how he believed that people were poisoning him. It started off when he felt “weird” after eating food that his step father cooked. “I’ve never eaten food that made me feel this way” he confronted his step dad multiple times each time ending in an argument. Eventually he moved out and bounced from one living situation to the next (would rent a room in a shared house). He’s running into the same issue where he thinks his roommates are poisoning him so he keeps a mini fridge in his locked room. From time to time he thinks they pick the lock and poison his stuff. He’s also having issues keeping a job. I’m afraid he’ll lose his current job, he was telling me how her thinks his boss put poison in the soap and he absorbed the drugs through his pours.

I don’t know how to go about helping him. I try telling him to do research on schizophrenia and that he needs to seek help but He’s afraid of doctors. and I even offered to take a trip out there so that we can see a good doctor but he refuses. 

How have y’all helped someone seek out help?!?