If it's really bad you should call the police and have them check in on him or her. They have the authority to Baker Act a person and are trained to deal with these kinds of things. That's what I would do.

Talk to the landlord.  S/He probably can't tell you much for privacy rights reasons, but chances are they know what is going on.

I have a friend who is a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic who does well for  years at a time, and they set her up to live in a small apartment in town.  Of course she hides it from the neighbors best as she can, but of course there are times or circumstances when they notice something odd or worrying.  Sadly, mentally ill people get targeted by violent criminals- muggers, thieves, and rapists particularly.

This really brought back some unpleasant memories. I experienced something very much like this several years ago.

I was living in an apartment building in Dearborn, MI. The woman living across the hall, whom I only knew by sight, went off her meds and started to act like the person mentioned in this diary. I had been gone for the weekend and hadn't realized what was happening. That Sunday night after I returned home I heard arguing coming from her apartment. It sounded like she had a man there. I later found out this had been going on for 2 days already.

The police were called. The apartment manager opened the door for them when she refused to do it herself. I heard the police shout at her to put down a knife. The next thing I heard was a shot. That single shot killed her.

There was a big wrongful death lawsuit over the issue. I had to give a deposition for the case.

What came out in the trial was that there was supposed to be a health professional on a call like that. In this case, there was no one available so the police went alone. The result was that someone died.

This all happened in the mid-90's. The police officer who shot her was called Guyzinger (sp?). His nickname was Gunslinger. You can imagine what the media did with that information.

It is extremely important to make sure the police know this is a mental health problem. Let them know you think the person has gone off their meds. Stress to them that a mental health professional should accompany any officers who respond to the call.

Good luck.

Try talking to the person himself. I recall a neighbor in an apartment building who lived above me. He seemed like an average person in all respects when he passed by, but sometimes you could hear loud cursing from his apartment and yelling out of the window. He did not seem psychotic just angry. I considered the possibility that he may have had Tourette's syndrome and episodes of uncontrolled speech. It eventually stopped. Someone might have complained.

Afterwards, I was sorry that I didn't knock on his door. I changed residence shortly afterward, and never found out what the true situation was.

I would agree to call the police - or if you're not comfortable with that, the fire department. It's also a personal safety issue for the individual.

If you have to, keep calling each time. This establishes a pattern that gives public safety professionals the ability to at least try to locate family members and to use other resources that can provide help.