Paranoid Schizophrenic neighbor making me a prisoner!

Hello all. Please hear me out before saying I'm not being compassionate or understanding of my neighbor. I have suffered from OCD for decades and I understand that my neighbors battle with Paranoid Schizophrenia is not his fault. I AM very sad for him, because he's obviously suffering greatly, but I've become a virtual prisoner in my apartment because of my neighbors illness.

When he first moved in, things were fine. He was rather scattered and a bit inconsiderate (being noisy, using the laundry facilities constantly on days that were not his) but not a real problem. However, things have gotten worse and worse.

It started with him having VERY loud conversations with people who were not there, and loud screaming matches with visiting family members. Then he began smashing things in the middle of the night, leaving debris all over the complex (not just in his area) and basically launching at me in angry tirades anytime we passed each other.

Before this, I had called him about the laundry situation. I had been unable to wash clothes for nearly a week because he was constantly using the machines, and leaving his clothes in them when not in use, so other people couldn't use them. I didn't know he was ill at the time, so I called him, asking (nicely) if he could please remove his items as I desperately needed to use them. As the days wore on my calls (which he never answered - his phone was never turned on) I became more and more agitated, as I don't have transportation to go to a laundromat (or the money for it, for that matter) and had an important event coming up. He never answered or responded. He often leaves wet laundry in the dryer for days, creating a horrible smell.

He then started accusing me of having accessed his apartment and moved his belongings. He then said I had been playing pranks on him. He had said previously that his last landlord had been stalking and spying on him, and I think he know believes I'm doing that as well.

He gets angry anytime any other tenant objects to his noise making or leaving his belongings in common areas, as if he believes he's in charge and can do as he pleases. Thing is, he's stopped doing this to our other neighbor and continues to target me, preventing me from using the laundry, leaving debris in front of my door, and even trying to access my part of the property when he thought I wasn't home.

The other night he had a really horrible episode, throwing things, screaming obscenities and threats at the top of his lungs. When I started hearing glass breaking I called police, worried he would harm himself or someone else. The police came but did nothing. They say he has the right to live as he pleases. Even if that interferes with my right to live peacefully?

The landlord went to talk to him and saw that he had severely damaged the apartment. He was asked to leave in 30 days, which he agreed to. He's now trying to get out of having to leave, but the landlord is sick of the drama and how he's terrorizing the other tenants. He's making no effort to pack up or to find a new place. He has family in the area but they don't seem willing to help. He told the landlord that I had been breaking into his place, and said that *I* have been causing noise in order to "drive him crazy and control him."

All I know is that he has threatened me on several occasions, and seems to blame me for everything wrong in his life. All because I asked to use the washing machine MONTHS ago. He's targeting me. It doesn't do my OCD any favors either! He refuses any form of treatment.

What I need to know is how to deal with him in the meantime? I'm convinced that he won't go quietly at the end of 30 days, and he blames me for his having to move. Everytime I see him (despite all efforts to avoid him) I can see his resentment of me is building. I'm afraid he may direct violence towards me or destroy my property or hurt my animals. He has threatened to do just that. The police will do NOTHING!

Can anyone who is dealing with schizophrenia, or is caring for a loved one with this terrible disorder please advise? I'm scared to leave my home, I even tiptoe out when I have to go to work! Why has he targeted ME as an enemy? I'm not a small person and I can defend myself, but no one can stop someone who goes into a rage! What have I done wrong? I've always been so nice and helpful to him, even helped him move in! Why is he always attacking me? What can I do to deal with this?

I'm so tired from being woken by his rages and from the stress of having to act like a prisoner in my own home. Please, someone advise!

Thank you so much for reading this VERY long post!

When you see him, you say you tiptoe, you wouldn't happen to know if you act shady doing so do you? When you two talk, is it an actual conversation? Or one sided?

There's always a reason one gets suspicious and feels threatened and acts out in response. I don't know what that reason is here, I don't see the interactions taking place on his side. With the police, I'm not a law expert, but you said you called them because someone might get hurt, not because it was disturbing the peace right? Yes, you should be able to live peacefully as he should be able to break his things if he wants to.

Have you tried talking to him normally at all, without any anger on your part built up? Problems are only resolved once confronted, using indirect means doesn't always. If you feel that this isn't possible, that he may hurt you, it would be best on your part to not push through with it. But you say you still see him and aren't dead as of yet. Well, hopefully not. Personally, when my brain goes haywire, people feed the flames by acting shady. You can't stop someone in the middle of a rage, but you can do best on your part to not build the fire.

I dunno, can you share an update on your part?

Hello, and thanks for the reply.

When I called the police, he was disturbing the peace. I called someone I know on the next street and they could hear him too. I don't know how to describe just how horribly loud it was, but I could hear every word he was saying, even with all my doors and windows shut and at the other side of my apartment. So, I think I was justified in calling the police. He wasn't just damaging his own property, he was damaging the landlords property, and has damaged my belongings in the past. He seems to think the world belongs to him and everyone else must fall in line and give him his own way. I've met his family, and they totally spoil him and let him have/do anything he wants, which doesn't help.

He's now been kicked out of here (for practically DESTROYING the apartment,) but ran off without returning the keys, so now all the locks need to be changed. He broke open the lockbox and now has keys to ALL the apartments, so I had to endure the fear while waiting for my locks to be changed. He was admitted to a hospital in another town but he got out somehow (without his family knowing) and came back to our city.

I didn't mean I literally tiptoed around to avoid him, I mean I just was as quiet as possible because EVERYTHING I do sets him off. There's nothing shady about me. When I wasn't able to avoid him, I spoke to him normally, and he either responded normally or ignored me, or EXPLODED at me, saying I was spying on him, etc, and that I am FORBIDDEN from being anywhere on the property except in my own apartment. I almost shouted at him that he has no right to tell me what I can and can't do, and that he doesn't own the place, but I didn't. He has taken my clothes out of the laundry and thrown them in the dirt, but yet HIS belongings are sacred.

The thing is, he never did any of this to the other tenant. It's as if just because I stood up for MY rights (to use the laundry) I'm suddenly some evil person. I know he is suffering from Paranoid Schizophrenia, his father told me, but he also just seems to be a spoiled brat on top of it!

I tried being compassionate. I have OCD, so I know that it's not his fault. But towards the end of his time here he started spying on ME. I DID NOTHING TO HIM! EVER! I was nothing but kind to him, every step of the way. All I ever did was ask to do a load of laundry after he'd been hogging it for two days.

When he left here, he left LOADS of garbage in MY LAWN and even...shall we say...relieved himself on my doorstep.

I don't deserve this. I am being treated for my OCD so that it doesn't affect others, yet he makes no effort, or just doesn't care, that his illness is affecting others. I used to have a lot of sympathy for him, no one deserves the kind of pain that schizophrenia brings, but I just am so tired of being targeted when I did nothing wrong.

no one likes being harassed, or having to clean up their $#%^. it makes sense youre tired too. now that hes out of there, if hes still harassing and spying and threatening so you feel your lifes in danger you should do whats necessary to make sure youre not infringed on. i wouldnt say its just his diagnosis is whats affecting others, the personality is there still. if hes an angry person he will act angrily. you may not have done anything wrong, so dont take the consequences as if you had.