Hello I live in England and would like to ask for some advice.

I am friends with a very dear family who live in Sri Lanka there son who is twenty years old is clearly very unwell.

From a very young age he has been disturbed by what the family call bad dreams at night.

I have just returned from a three week holiday with the family and after talking with him it appears that there is much more to the problem than just bad dreams.

He tell me that he is so afraid, that every night people come to his room, sometimes they just watch him, sometimes they want to harm him, this also happens at least once or twice a day, he tell me if he goes out on his bike often someone else is on the bike with him,.

I watched and observed him while I was with the family, he is a happy kind thoughtful young man and very gentle, but it is very clear that when these episode’s come his is very frightened.

At night he shouts and screams and daytime he will go very quiet and his face portrays the fact that he is very frightened.

He was very open with me and he discussed his fears and he described how he sees people, how these people make him fall over, he feel that the people he can see push him into the road and cause him to have accidents.

He told me at times they tell him to punch someone, until now he has never done such a thing but he is so afraid that one day he might.

He understands it is wrong and he understands that it is not in his character to harm anyone.

I was alone with him for a day when we went to visit a beautiful old building, he was happy and he was as always very kind, but part way through the visit he became very frightened, he told me “they come” he then becomes very worried, looking around, looking quickly over his shoulder.

He asked that we just sit quietly for a while and he held his head in his hands after twenty minutes or so he appeared to relax, he told me he thought I was going to kill him and he also told me the voices told him to punch me.

The situation is so sad, he feel he can’t discuss the problem with his family, he tells me they will put him in “the mad hospital”.

I explained to him that there is medication available and that he should get some help, he tell me that in Sri Lanka he knows if he consults a doctor he will be put into a hospital.

I know hear in the UK we are forward thinking in our approach to mental health, but I fear that in Sri Lanka it is not the case.

Can anyone please advise what I should do, how can I help this lovely young boy; he told me everything in confidence he is very frightened of what would happen if his parent find out.

He is very frightened of being put in “the mad hospital”, I want to get him help but I don’t know where to start