Paranoia

[kchan]

Apologies if this is the wrong section to post this in :shrug:

Does anyone else have a problem with paranoia? Sometimes thoughts will just pop into my head and take hold, like a friend/family members is avoiding me/hates me or my partner is cheating on me or i'm about to get fired etc. They stick pretty well and trigger a panic attack then very quickly cross the line from thoughts to absolute belief. When i calm down i realise how ridiculous the initial thought really is and how much evidence i have against it, but whenever it occurs again i instantly forget all that and just have to endure it. It's really exhausting and i'm just wondering if it can be avoided all together. Does anyone have any advice or has went through something similar? Do i need to up my dosage to squash the panic that leads to the cross from thought to belief or is this a separate issue all together?

[Moley]

I don't have any advice on how to beat it I am sorry.
But I do suffer from paranoia over certain things really easily. like not getting a reply to a text straightaway my mind will think I have done something to upset the person or they don't want to talk to me cos I am horrible. when the truth is they are busy or not near there phone. wish I could give u some advice but hope u take a bit of comfort from not being alone in being this way.

[kchan]

Thats exactly the kind of thing I mean! I did do a short CBT course that labeled these as 'catastrophising' thoughts, assuming the worst with no evidence. It is nice to have a label for it and the knowledge it's not just me, I do wish there was an 'off' switch though. Most of the time I'm able to ride it out before I confront anyone but the few times I have slipped and have thrown my insane accusations at someone it's always been horrid. Its a tricky beast though because in the moment it seems entirely reasonable but as soon as the words are out its obviously entirely unreasonable. I do have to see my GP at some point this week, I'mnnot sure I should say anything about this or if it's just silly or what it is really.

[anthrokid]

Definitely talk to your GP about it :) It isn't silly if it is bothering you and causing you anxiety and your doctor may be able to refer you for a course or something that can help manage or alleviate the thoughts.