i’m worried my boyfriend is in a religious psychotic episode and don’t know how to properly support him
i don’t know where to start, i’m just really taken aback and i don’t know what to do. we’ve been together almost 4 years and have been through a lot together, we’re very comfortable with each other.
for background, he grew up in black churches but hasn’t been christian for years. we never really talked about religion much but we both didn’t like when christians would stop us to talk about sin and stuff. i’ve never been christian, i’m more spiritual if anything and don’t see that changing. he’s 25 and his mom has a history of serious mental illness.
this started sunday when he came over. around 9:30 he started talking about conspiracies and the world. at first i was into it, this isn’t unusual for us, we both like thinking deeply and connecting things. he actually sounded like he had done a lot of research and some of it did make sense. i was agreeing with him at first.
then he put on a youtube video breaking down a rap music video with “demonic meanings.” at first i was like wow that’s crazy, but then it turned into the usual “you need to stop sinning and ask for forgiveness.” he paused it and started listing sins to me which completely threw me off because we’ve never thought like that.
then it escalated into him talking about humanity being doomed, being scared he’s going to go to hell, and that humans are being set up. he said this has been on his mind for weeks which i had no idea about. i thought he was just stressed about life and finances.
we talked for almost 3 hours and every time it went quiet he would start again. anytime i shared my perspective he would counter it with “proof” and say things like “that’s what they want you to think.”
at one point he told me “i love you so much and i’d hate to go to heaven and not have you there with me.” i told him i’m not scared of death and don’t really believe in that kind of afterlife and he looked shocked.
since then it’s continued over text. i asked what he was doing and he kept saying “thinking” and “researching.” now i know what that means. today he sent over 100 messages going from lizard people, demons, dragons, god, princess diana, suppression of black people, etc. it’s all connected to him.
the hard part is some of what he’s saying sounds thought out and i don’t want to make him feel crazy or just dismiss him. i know religion/spirituality can be intense. but it feels like it’s taking over his mindset and causing fear and paranoia.
it also feels like he’s slightly trying to make me christian. he told me to read the bible and brought up sin (even sex) which made me feel weird. when i told him i have a different opinion he said “it’s not my opinion anymore, it’s proven facts.”
i don’t know how to respond without pushing him away, offending him, or accidentally validating this. i’m also mentally struggling myself so this is a lot, and part of me is even questioning if i’m wrong or just not seeing what he sees.
he’s always been against therapy/psychiatry and his family isn’t really involved. i’m basically the one he comes to for everything.
i love him and want to support him but i’m genuinely worried about his mental health. i don’t want to shut down his beliefs but this feels like it’s taken over in an unhealthy way.
has anyone experienced something like this? how do i support him without making it worse?