Schizophrenia, Self-Medication, and the Failure to Diagnose Nick Reiner | Therapist Shavaun Scott

Nick Reiner used heroin. He used meth. He used cocaine. He went to rehab eighteen times starting at age fifteen. Every intervention focused on the drugs.

But according to reports, Nick had schizophrenia — a serious psychotic disorder that went undiagnosed for years while he was being treated for addiction.

What if the drugs were never the real problem?

Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott joins True Crime Today to examine the relationship between schizophrenia and substance abuse. She explains a concept called self-medication — the idea that people with untreated mental illness sometimes use drugs to manage symptoms they don't understand. The heroin quiets the voices. The meth provides energy when depression makes it impossible to move. The substances aren't the disease. They're the patient's attempt at a cure.

Shavaun breaks down how psychotic disorders get missed in teenagers who are using drugs, why the treatment industry often focuses on the visible problem while missing what's underneath, and what happens when you put someone with schizophrenia through traditional addiction treatment.

We also examine what happened in the weeks before the killings. Nick's medication was reportedly changed. Sources say he became "erratic and dangerous." Shavaun explains what psychiatric destabilization actually looks like, the risks of medication adjustments, and why this period should have been managed with extreme caution.

The Reiners paid for the best treatment money could buy. It may have been treating the wrong disease entirely.

#NickReiner #Schizophrenia #ShavaunScott #TrueCrimeToday #MentalHealth #DualDiagnosis #RobReiner #Addiction #SelfMedication #TrueCrime

Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/

Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod

Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872