Fearful but not Paranoid?

DX'd - Other
1

I swear, I cannot wait to talk to my psychiatrist - I need some clarity and understanding, because my PHD therapist is frankly confusing me.

According to my therapist, I do not get truly paranoid, just fearful and its connected to my OCD and Anxiety and Panic Disorder.

So when I see my Family doctor and he uses a thermometer to take my temperature - I am having these thoughts of him purposefully drugging the thermometer to harm me or I am having thoughts of him contaminating the thermometer with some sort of virus to harm me - According to my brilliant therapist its not paranoia - then what the ■■■■ is it?!?

According to her its a fear from my Anxious nature.

Both my psychiatrist and therapist thinks that I am hardwired to think this way - I always thought that my thinking was paranoid, but my therapist tells me its not.

I know that I get suspicious of others and have a difficult time with trust - My therapist likes to downplay my symptoms - I really want to know what my pdoc thinks.

I always thought that being suspicious of others or thinking that others could harm me was part of paranoia - Now I am being told differently from my therapist - I dont get it :confused:

Any thoughts on this?

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To me that sounds like paranoia but what do I know I guess

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It sounds like classic case of paranoia, I don’t get it either.

But maybe they are thinking only when your thinking happens, like at times of the doctor visit, or when you are

highly anxious of results. My anxiety happens during stress, and during pain.

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Paranoia I personally think is a spectrum. It goes from suspicion to belief.

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Yeah, Anxiety and Stress are triggers for my paranoia - and that is exactly what it is - paranoia.

I honestly dont know why my therapist is downplaying the paranoia - I dont think that she is that incompetent.

Some therapists honestly do not understand severe mental illness.

I am going to wait to talk to my pdoc - she will give me a thorough explanation of what is going on with me.

Thanks guys! :smile:

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Even if you do concede to your therapist it’s just a matter of semantics - nervous anxiety or paranoia - they’re both damn hard to live with.

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I do agree with you that both anxiety and paranoia are difficult to deal with, but they are 2 different animals.

They are treated differently, in most cases.