Paranoia: Am I the only one?

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Joined: 10 Sep 2010
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01 Oct 2010, 8:03 pm

People freak me out, period. Paranoia has been a problem with me for as long as I can remember. Anybody I don't really know that well, or people I just have trouble relating to in general, I get really paranoid about. "Is this person gonna try and get me somehow, are they trying to hurt me, and what are they thinking?". Am I the only one?

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CockneyRebel
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01 Oct 2010, 10:09 pm

I get the same thoughts running through my mind. What is this person thinking? What does he/she think of me? Does the person want to hurt me?

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01 Oct 2010, 11:03 pm

blackmetal83092 wrote:

Interesting. Is this social anxiety disorder I wonder?

I've never experienced such. I wonder what people are thinking about, or what they are doing, and what their life is like, but I never think of them in relation to me other than sometimes hoping someone doesn't hate me.

Claire_Louise
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01 Oct 2010, 11:17 pm

No, you're not the only one with paranoia.
With me, it's not so much that people are going to hurt me, but that they are watching my every move, stalking me, out to get me...
Oh, and of course that they think I'm majorly weird, and that they hate me.
It's worse when I'm not accompanied by someone that I'm comfortable with.

Chronos
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02 Oct 2010, 12:22 am

blackmetal83092 wrote:

No, but paranoia is associated with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and other schiz- spectrum disorders.

Now with AS.

At least you know you are paranoid though...or maybe you aren't all that paranoid. Maybe you just worry they might hurt you even though you KNOW they probably won't. That may actually be a manifestation of OCD. It's more usually for someone with OCD to worry they will hurt another person, even though they know they never would, because they worry about the things they least want to happen.

You should talk to a psychiatrist about it.

If you are developing psychosis it's better to treat it sooner before the brain changes become permanent.

But you should be sure it's psychosis you are treating.

ThomasL
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02 Oct 2010, 1:03 am

Interesting. Reminds me of a quote: "Just because you're not paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you".

And this: "Only the paranoid survive" (Andy Grove, founder/CEO of Intel, in reference to competition in business)

Maybe one more: "You're not paranoid if they really are out to get you".

In my case, it's interesting because a long-time best/only friend recently accused me of something like this: "There's nothing wrong with you except that you think everyone's out to get you" (we got along famously until he got married - then he started to distance himself more and more because his wife hated me. That's the second long-time best friend I've lost that way. I also lost a brother the same way.)

But I think my friend's wording was rather off - it's not that I think people are "out to get me", so much as I'm afraid nobody likes me, and that sooner or later everyone rejects me, so I'm always looking for signs that people think I'm weird, or are rejecting me, etc. But this is based on a long history of such reactions from people, so I don't think it's "paranoia". Right?

I'd be surprised if most people with Asperger's or other ASD didn't feel this way.

As for "psychosis", I thought that was "seeing and/or hearing things/people that aren't there". Nothing to do with paranoia, right?

blackmetal83092
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02 Oct 2010, 6:24 am

Chronos wrote:

blackmetal83092 wrote:

No, it's not psychosis. I'm not seeing/hearing things that aren't there. But lately it's been getting worse. I'm extremely suspicious and afraid of certain people and anybody I don't know very well I keep my distance. I don't really go out a lot, except for band practice. I don't do facebook anymore, because this is the only place I can trust people, since people on here understand me. But anyway, yeah....I'm just thinking all the time, "I think this person's out to get me", and that fills me with fear.

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blackmetal83092
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02 Oct 2010, 6:27 am

ThomasL wrote:

"Just because you're paranoid, don't mean they're not after you" - Nirvana - Territorial Pissings

I came to accept that people don't like me a long time ago. But now I'm thinking they want me harmed very badly or dead. I never really addressed this with my therapist or while I was in the hospital, but I think I need to.

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02 Oct 2010, 7:13 am

I have family members with paranoia. They take medicine for it.

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02 Oct 2010, 7:33 am

I have it also.

John_Browning
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02 Oct 2010, 7:43 am

I also have a problem with paranoia, but there are also times where it comes in waves that are more severe and are probably related to bipolar. I have a little trouble differentiating paranoia from reality at times because people I didn't know really have been out to get me for no reason (i.e. sever bullying) a bunch of times in my past.

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Gallygun
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02 Oct 2010, 12:04 pm

blackmetal83092 wrote:

Anybody I don't really know that well, or people I just have trouble relating to in general, I get really paranoid about. "Is this person gonna try and get me somehow, are they trying to hurt me, and what are they thinking?". Am I the only one?

NO! You're not the only one by any means! My gosh, I thought I was a wackjob for having these thoughts about everyone! I'm so glad you posted this; I'm not alone!

Every time I have to meat someone new, I think of all the bad things they might say to me, how they might hurt/attack me, and how I would violently fight back D=

I have major anger issues from it. It's not being schizophrenic, it's just that so many people have hurt me in life for reasons unknown to me that I never know who might be next in line to might turn on me.

I know it's not real in my head, but I feel like it could happen at any moment.

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02 Oct 2010, 12:14 pm

" Even a paranoid can have enemies" - Henry Kissenger, US Secretary of State

I believe that studies have shown that Aspies are already excluded before the age of 10, and possibly before that. Is it any surprise that aspies would have a high rate of "paranoia"?

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02 Oct 2010, 1:22 pm

I have paranoia as well. I won't get into details but some of it is weird. I have been diagnosed with a psychotic disorder as well as autism.

blackmetal83092
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02 Oct 2010, 3:06 pm

Gallygun wrote:

blackmetal83092 wrote:

I've had very few problems with anger, I had agitation problems when I was a pre-teen and I can get extremely agitated on most anti-depressants. One of the things that was bugging me today I ended up talking to my mom about, which was extremely embarrassing, and she made me feel somewhat better. She said it was my anxiety and as Temple Grandin said today at the USAAA conference, fear is the main emotion in Asperger's/Autism. both of those made me feel somewhat better, but inside, I'm still terrified.

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blackmetal83092
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02 Oct 2010, 3:10 pm

Guitar_Girl wrote:

I have family members with paranoia. They take medicine for it.

I like the Kurt Cobain quote. I don't like to go into my Doctor's office and ask him about medicine, it makes me feel like I'm saying, "I know more than you, even though you're a Psychiatrist". I'll talk to him about that, see if he wants me to do meds or therapy or something.

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