Hello! Soo I didn't know where else I could ask this so I'm putting it here? If it's not allowed or against rules I will gladly delete it. I also don't want to be rude, so if I sound rude with my questions I don't mean to be. 

Anyway, here's the deal. I write my own fictional (romance) stories and one of my favorite things to write about is new topics (ex, I've written about characters with vitiligo, ptsd, severe depression, eating disorders, other stuff that I haven't ever experienced). And one thing I like to do when I write about new topics is rEsEaRcH because I want to know how it feels and really know what its like so my story is realistic. This usually means reaching out to people to get their point of view. So, my smart self decided that I would write about a character with  schizoaffective disorder (depressive type) ahaha.. So now I'm stuck because I have zero clue how to begin writing about something like this. I doubt I can get much help here but it's worth a try eh?

So the main bit of this story is: The main character has been best friends with this other person for almost their whole life, and then one day their friend commits suicide. The main character is left so shocked and scarred that they begin seeing and hearing their dead friend, along with other things (major depressive lows, being stuck in the mental age of a 10/11 year old regardless of being a biological 15 year old, speech problems, and being more irritable). After a year of hallucinations and delusions and failed medication and therapy, their family sends them to a mental hospital. (Then the romance comes in and that's not very important) 

One thing I really want tips on is if anyone here has experienced hallucinations/delusions, what sorts of things make them feel real? I would really like the reader to really feel what it's like living as this character. I've never hallucinated so I dunno how to write them really-

So uuhh yeah, I mean I think based off of the articles I've read I have a decent idea of how to write this, but of anyone has advice or info that would be so helpful! I guess I don't really have any questions, but just looking for any advice anyone thinks would be helpful. Again if this isn't allowed I will happily delete it, I just don't know where else to put it haha. Anyway, thank you so much for reading this!!

(P.S. I do have depression myself so I'm not completely clueless, but schizoaffective disorder/schizophrenia is a lot different from just regular depression so I'm just looking for tips-)