How Do You Solve A Problem Like Paranoia

Hi wolfie34, I am bi-polar and for me paranoia is part of my mania episodes, when I started getting paranoid for no real reason it is cause for my family and friends to take notice. Bi-polar is a physical disorder that manifests from chemical imbalances in the brain, which constantly flucuate. My paranoia episodes usually manifest when I stop sleeping and resting, and then I become unduly frightened of even the most mundane and normal things, like a phone ringing, or a loud voice. I have been under treatment for over six years now for my bi-polar, but I can't still stress to the point of undue paranoia, which usually means a medication adjustment, and at times short hospital stay. The one thing to keep in mind is that paranoia is a real state of mind for who ever is experiencing it, meaning that even though it isn't real to others doesn't mean it isn't real to the paranoid person. The lines between many mental illnesses and disorders can be thin, when I go through a manic cycle, I demonstrate not only bi-polar attributes but also schizophrenic aspects. For me paranoia is a very serious thing, and therefore I always take note when others are demonstative of he symptoms. I am fortunate I have an incredible support system, my loving husband, and my church family, over the years we have learned to identify the triggers. A couple of ways we protect me is to let people know if they feel something is wrong to please tell my husband asap, also when I am having an episode I have "babysitters" who are able to come and watch me when my husband is at work, and a very awesome psycharist who is available, loving and concerned, and allows me to help make decisions about my care etc. Hope this is helpful to you, best wishes in your 2009 endeavors. Be happy, be joyful, be safe and Be Strong! oohcute2340

Hi there wolfie34 Well I guess you could say that my husband was paranoid or possibly a schizophreniac!! More likely the latter!! LOL Anyway he would always say that people were so racist in this country as people always looked at him and no one would give him a job. Hey he must have been looking at other people a lot to know that they were looking at him! He once rang up about a job but they told him it had already gone. He felt sure it was because he was foreign they didn't offer him an interview and made me call them back and ask about the job fo myself but they told me the same thing. He still felt sure the job was still available. I tried to explain to him about other jobs that yes maybe they didn't want to employ him because his level of English wasn't good enough and they need someone who will understand their requests immediately not have to explain something 4 or 5 times before it was understood what was required of them! It is hard to live with someone like this I must admit but somehow I survived it all!!

I think everyone has a certain amount of it. Its just different things with different people. There is a huge difference in paranoia and schizophrenia because it causes hallucinoations ect, and its always best to seek treatment and be under care because schizophrenia can be very violent and cause dangerous episodes. I am not an expert on this but I know that they have medicines now that do help and have known someone who has been on the meds and is doing very well compared to the prior times.

Hi wolfie. I find a lot of people use the word "paranoia" a bit loosely...it's become a generic term for anyone who behaves strangely or is ever so slightly anti social...even if it's a momentary thing. A lot of the time the word "paranoid" is used when the condition is actually more neurotic. I find a site that answered almost all your questions: http://www.thesite.org/healthandwellbeing/mentalhealth/otherconditions/paranoia and this one will tell you how to compare paranoia with being neurotic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurosis

This is really a deep topic, wolfie. In my opinion only people who are extremely well-adjusted have no paranoid tendencies. I think that as life throws certain curve balls our way it is very easy to develop paranoia over some things. In most cases something has to occur in order to bring out our paranoid tendencies. Paranoia is not really unhealthy unless it is taken to the extreme. In a few instances I have been paranoid about something only to have it turn out to be exactly as I feared.

Who? Me? Paranoid? How could you suggest such a thing! Seriously, I think most people probably suffer from it a little bit. Who hasn't entered a room and assumed people were talking about them? A teensy little bit of paranoia might even be healthy, as it keeps us wary.

Wolfie, I think paranoia is a serious condition and if left untreated might develop into something more serious. I really don't know much about it but I knew a woman who had this condition and she was always afraid to be around people, she never trusted anyone and always felt that everyone was going to hurt her. No matter how much her friends tried to reassure her that no one was after her, it never worked.

I am not sure if paranoia and anxiety/panic attacks are the same or not but I have suffered from anxiety/panic attacks since before I was a teenager. I did get so bad that I developed agoraphobia, I would get so bad that I could not even go out to the mail box. I am not sure what has gotten me better over time. I still don't go to stores alone.

Hello wolfie. I don't suffer from this paranoia. I think that it will bother me a lot with my life and work if I have a problem like paranoia. I am glad that it is free from me. I don't think that I will be happy with paranoia. It can affect one a lot. Take care, dear wolfie.

If I stop taking my medication paranoia can be a real problem for me. Talking helps a lot. That really seems to be the best way to deal with it. I don't think it's something that could ever be cured though. It can be managed when dealt with correctly and for me that seems to be talking with a therapist. Purrs, Catwoman=^..^= & Mija

I don't know of anyone clinically suffering paranoia although everyone has a mild case of it - I think it's normal because of our survival instincts. From what I've seen so far, schizophrenia is a manifestation of paranoia and it entails hallucination that you cannot differentiate from reality even though you are aware that what you see is fake. I think that if someone is clinically diagnose with paranoia then he should seek help from a professional and the condition should not be taken lightly. Thanks for the response on my discussion!

Paranoia as played its part in my life, I've suffered with it after having postnatal depression and part of that illness was been paranoid because I was ill it seriously got to me, before having my baby I was a confident, outgoing woman, the depression reduced me to tears with it affects on me, thankfully I'm long back to my old self and wiser for having gone through an illness like I had. Plus my ex partner was terrible with it, accusing me of all sorts that I had no defence for because I never knew what he was going on about, again even with that I came to realise that it wasn't my problem it was his, his thoughts, his accusations etc and eventually walked away leaving him in his own paranoia and his beliefs I had done it because it got me to a point where I couldn't of cared less what he thought, then has is always the case I find out he was doing what he was accusing me of. (anyways never meant to tell you all that but I have..lol) paranoia I think most people have it to some degree, sometimes though it affects people seriously, that's when it needs to be dealt with properly.