TA in my chem class today

[priorities2]

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Edit: Rephrased this to not sound like I'm asking for specific medical advice.
Could one episode involving things like telling people cell phones will eat their brains, science can't be trusted, Windows computers spy on you, and generally saying these things instead of fulfilling your professional role - be anything BESIDES schizophrenia? Like could you consider this within the realm of "normal" (not abnormal) behavior in certain cases?

 

[Bartelby]

None of us should offer medical advice over the internet because we can't personally examine him and we don't know the relevant history. I recommend letting the professor or someone in the department know (nonjudgmentally and possibly anonymously) so that if something troubling is brewing they can take the appropriate actions to help your TA get whatever help he might need.

 

[priorities2]

Okay, thanks for the response. The professor already knows, as the TA had been removed from the class by the lab coordinator who works with the prof. I'm sure they'll have him get whatever help he might need.

 

[peppy]

While we can't tell you what is going on with this particular TA, speaking in general terms, there are plenty of conditions that can cause what we call psychotic symptoms. Schizophrenia is definitely a possibility, especially because it often first appears in people who are college age, but there are other things that could also cause psychosis including bipolar disorder, a brain tumor, substance abuse or withdrawal, and a number of other things.
Hopefully your TA will get the help he needs whatever the cause is. I can imagine it must have been scary for you to witness this kind of behavior without knowing what was going on.

 

[st2205]

Lots of people who aren't psychotic say/do/believe these things.

 

[silas2642]

Edit: Rephrased this to not sound like I'm asking for specific medical advice.
Could one episode involving things like telling people cell phones will eat their brains, science can't be trusted, Windows computers spy on you, and generally saying these things instead of fulfilling your professional role - be anything BESIDES schizophrenia? Like could you consider this within the realm of "normal" (not abnormal) behavior in certain cases?

Psychosis (losing touch of reality) generally has a broad differential diagnosis: substance use/withdrawal, medical conditions, mood disorders like depression or mania, and sometimes even personality disorders can all manifest with psychotic symptoms.