Telling his parents will be a good thing, but it could also be bad. some parents don't know how to deal with that at all...
To describe psychosis. I want to explain it, but I really don't for fear I might hit a dip in it... But, why not?
Here goes:
My initial thoughts while under a psychotic episode are "Oh shit it's happening again." I very strong sense of panic would over come me, and I would be set in a new state of mind. I would watch people, as if my body wasn't there. Talking required me to come out of the state, and if I talked while having an episode that was blatant psychosis. If I looked in their eyes, I would want to leave. It was like everything they were thinking was instantly translated to my thoughts. I really didn't like that feeling, not in any way. Reading people's minds is not a desired ability by me.
Besides being able to read people in the psychosis this obviously brought some sort of confidence (after I came off the "high") that I was by far the most superior human being on the planet. Since I had the power to read your mind, how could you be more intelligent than me?
If anyone brought up an arguement that I disagreed with it was instantly wrong, and they were stupid. I kind of let thhat be known a few times. As I started to realize (well it was actually quite obvious) that something was wrong with me I spent about 8 months reading books, analyzing my thought patterns, and contemplating this state of mind. I was able to relate, by empathy, to every person I had ever met.
The first words, the first non-verbal communication by anybody presented me with exactly their life story almost. As if by seeing one action of their thoughts, I knew all the rest of their thoughts.
It turned out to be a very honest idea, and became true more often than not, which did not help me in curing myself.
I began to ignore what was going on, trying to "make myself stupider" which happened with drinking, head banging, doing stupid stuff. I was literally trying to kill the thought process that was making my psychotic.
Eventually I realized alot of things (over the course of the next ~14 months) that encouraged alot better of behavior by me, and taught me to deal with it, and eventually lead me to here, approximately 2 years from my departure of reality.
To answer your question: If I had been in a tribe, and my actions been encouraged, I will say I do not know for sure if this would have had a positive or negative outcome. probably negative since many times while in a psychotic behavior suicide crossed my mind...
Altought what accompanied that was "I'm fucked up - there is something wrong with me" which is obviously from western culture.
So it is to say I have no idea.