MY HUSBAND HAS GONE OFF HIS HEAD

My husband and I have been married for 10 years. He’s always been a bit quirky and individualistic but it’s starting to feel like too much. He had to close his business and let all his employees go because of lockdown and since then his ideas and thoughts have become irrational. He’s also become paranoid.

He believes aliens are targeting people and that we shouldn’t listen to the radio or watch television as that gives the aliens entry into our house. He says we have to give away our pets because the aliens are using them to influence us. He also says we should only eat certain food in order to stay “clean” – no fruit, vegetables, nuts, meat or dairy.

He wants me and the children to abide by what he dictates and is driving us crazy. He’s getting more and more aggressive each day. What can I do? Worried, email

Your husband is losing touch with reality and needs urgent psychiatric attention. Ask your GP to assist you to get your husband into a psychiatric hospital or clinic for the correct diagnosis and treatment. It isn’t advisable for him to remain at home right now if he’s aggressive.

It’s also clear that he’s causing extreme stress in the home environment and the dietary rules he’s imposing will result in you and your children not getting enough nutritious food.

Let the mental health professionals guide you in terms of what needs to happen. Paranoid patients can be a danger to themselves as well as others as they’re unable to distinguish between what’s real and what’s not.