I HAVE PARANOIA EVERYDAY. I THINK IT'S PART OF BP,CAUSE I CAN'T SEEM TO SHAKE MINE. I THINK THAT SOMETHING BAD IS ALWAYS GOING TO HAPPEN OR ALREADY HAS HAPPEND AND THAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT ME. I QUIT MY JOB BECAUSE I COULDN'T TAKE THE PARANOIA ANYMORE. SO I DO KNOW WHAT YOUR GOING THROUGH.

Paranoia is a part of BP psychosis, as I understand it. Maybe other people will have a clearer definition. The kind of paranoia where you're worried about people talking about you or not liking you is not what I think they're talking about when they discuss paranoia of BP. I could be wrong, though. It's more like thinking people are following you or watching you behind mirrors, stuff like that. This all is at least what my therapist has told me as I have mentioned every single one of these scenarios. I don't know if that helps or not.

This is interesting as I am now in the middle of a book on CBT for psychosis. A lot of people, not just ones with mental illness, get paranoia. It appears to be an everyday occurance for many people. In several studies a third to one half of the people interviewed endorsed the idea that "I need to be on my guard against others" as occuring on a weekly basis. To a lesser extent were people believing that there may be a conspiracy against them (8%) in one study.

Paranoid thinking is common but not everybody becomes distressed or disabled by their beliefs. It seems that within the general population between 4 and 10% of people seem to have stronge beliefs including paranoid ideas that would be considered delusional (out of touch with reality) if interviewed by a psychiatrist. These numbers are quite similiar to the number of people who have depression or anxiety in the general population.

This is important to know as it was always assumed that paranoid ideas were rare, and hence a sign that someone was suffering from a mental illness. However, increasingly we recognize that such beliefs and ideas are relatively common and exist on a wide range of anxieties and concerns, spanning from mild suspicion to extreme fears of, and being absolutely convinced of, other people's harmful intentions towards us

--p.38/39 Back to Life, Back to Normality by Douglas Turkington et al.

As a Christian, I put my faith in God. It means that I don't have to be afraid of people, demons or madness or even illness. I admit, I love a good conspiracy theory. Sort of like a well written mystery. Now do I believe or worry about them? Virtually never.

i wonder what the dynamics of paranoia is? is it personality, or environment. Even at my wildest, i have never been paranoid. Now I have had a lot of wrong thoughts, depression, and grandiosity, but not paranoia, that I can really think of. Maybe it is just the kind of personality I have - sort of naive and trusting? LOL

for me there are two types of paranoia.. one is as you describe Chelle... and the other is pure paranoia where at the time you don't know thats what it is and its all real to you.. I've had this latter one a few times and its beyond horrible... the former is more common.. so its all about the self awareness of it all

I don't know whether I am being paranoid about something atm or just intuitive.. all I know is it is crippling me x

Wow that is so weird about the comment about thinking people are watching you in the mirror. When I was alot younger around12-16 I always thought people were watching me in my vanity in my bedroom, it was a huge mirror. I tried to avoid looking in the mirror and i would try to act as normal as i could. weeeeird cause i forgot about it until just now!!!

I think paranoia like everything else. It needs to be viewd as a matter of degrees and I think it is important to recognise that bp is all about extremes - one thing or the other, all black and white, nothing in between. Anxietyand delusion is the same,

I feel there is a huge difference between suspicion that is borne from anxiety than true paranoia. I get very hostile and very suspicous of people around em but that is because I have a anxiety disorder.

I do think some paranoia is part of being Bi Polar.
No, I don't think anybody is out to get you or they would have gotten you by now.
When it comes to thinking people are talking about you or avoiding you, I think it can come from not realizing that people get busy, they have lots to do and they don't have a lot of time on their hands to return messages. It has nothing to do with you, it has to do with what they are doing. When I stay busy, it doesn't bother me if someone doesn't get back with me or if I have not heard from them in a while. I know their life does not revolve around me. So I do the best I can to make sure my life does not revolve around them. I make sure my life revolves around me, God and things I like to do.

I'm not paranoid - it's just that everyone else is!! lol

Zany, I'm so glad you raised this as this is a real issue for me right now. I've had a succession of days of severe Bipolar Depression and anxiety with it and I have also been experiencing paranoia - terrible paranoia that something bad is going to happen, specifically that people (real or imagined people) are coming to get me and hurt me either physically or emotionally and that as a result I am going to have to off myself.

I don't have anyone to talk about this stuff in real life so I appreciate being able to talk to you guys about it online. It pisses me off that this terrible head-state has been with me for periods of time my whole life - it's just such a waste of headspace and unecessary suffering.

Zany, I hope you get some relief from this is you are going through a peak of it right now.

Paranoia is definitely part of bipolar disorder. It doesn't occur in everyone's situation or case, but it happens in perhaps, the majority of them. I used to be paranoid that someone was behind me and following me. I used to turn around or look over my shoulder every few minutes. So I know how you feel.

I HAVE REAL BAD PARANOIA! AT THE MOMENT I THINK SOMEONE HAS A CONTRAC OUT ON ME LOL SAD BUT TRUE! SO ONE MINUTE I'M LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY AND THE NEXT IM BARRACADING THE FRONT DOOR AND SETTING NOISY TRAPS! MY HOUSE IS FULL OF STRATEGICALLY PLACED WIND-CHIMES AND I GOT THE FIRE BRIGADE ROUND TO PUT UP NEW SMOKE ALARMS AND CHECK MY EXITS ETC ALL THIS MIGHT SEEM MAD BUT IT GIVES ME PEACE OF MIND AND I CAN RELAX AND HAVE A CHILL THEN. MY SON THINKS IM MAD BUT HE INDULGES ME AND SO DOES MY BOYFRIEND. SOMETIMES I WONT DRIVE MY CAR COS I THINK SOMEONE MITE AV TAMPERED WITH IT AND SOMETIMES I WONT GO OUT. WILL DO WHATEVER I CAN TO FEEL SAFE AND DONT CARE WOT ANYONE OR ANYTHING THINKS ABOUT ME. IF ANYONE QUESTIONS THE MADNESS THAT IS MY METHOD I TELL THEM TO FUCK OFF AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT? THEY DO LOL IM A BIT SCARY AND TOUGH AS AN OLD BOOT LOL X HOPE THIS HELPS X

i ALSO THINK SOMEONE COMES IN MY HOUSE AND SPIKES MY FOOD! HA HAA X NO WONDER IM SO THIN! X

Stick it up em Hats!! lol

Just cuz your paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you!

My sentiments entirely proud! is it paranoia or is it the truth? that's why i cover myself, better to be safe than sorry as my ma used to say. After all us bipolars can be quite dangerous can't we? lol I saw an ex of mine the other day, we went out 33 years ago! gawd luv us! lol anyhow he said to me 'Karen, you were never scared of anybody!' it gave me great strength to hear this, in fact it made me feel bloody wonderful. HE WAS RIGHT I WAS NEVER SCARED AND ALWAYS BRAVE< WOULD FIGHT ANYBODY EVEN THO I KNEW I COULDN'T WIN LOL THEY USED TO LET ME OFF FOR MY FEARLESSNESS! STUPID CAP LOCK KEEPS STICKING! TOO MUCH BEER SPILT ON IT LOL xXx