Paranoia is by far the worst symptom for me lately. I’ve been on nearly every antipsychotic on the market, and nothing has decreased it. Benzos helped a bit, but I can’t take them anymore.
Does anyone know how to handle this? Make it better? Get past it?
Help me if you can, please.
I’d get into a constant vivicious circle of the paranoia triggering of anxiety which would trigger off more paranoia trigging off more anxiety and so on. Helps to break the thoughts up which does help. Something ACT which is one of the mindful approaches does help as has a few skills to break up the thoughts. Dr Russ Harris had brought it to Australia from America in the form of two books the happiness trap and the reality slap both well worth a read. Tons of info on the site on ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) and on the net. ACT is based on Buddhist mindfulness so it does work.
I’m less paranoid when I’m out with a friend or not alone at home.
Sometimes my body ‘helps’ me fight it with a strong feeling of derealization or that everyone is an actor.
I get paranoid around other people. 
Even around your family or your best friend?
I get paranoid around strangers.
Have you been on a therapeutic dose of your APs? For example what dose are you on right now?
I found cognitive behavioural therapy very usefull …it helped me understand why i was getting paranoid in some situations
I started my journey with severe paranoia. I thought the mafia was after me, i thought my apartment was bugged and there was video surveillance. I also thought that there were hidden messages in twitter feeds that i needed to figure out. I have to say it was quite bad, and I was on meds at the time. I had even been admitted to a psych ward for a few days during that time where I saw some crazy hallucinations after taking something they gave me and was convinced they were testing lsd or something on me. Fortunately, the paranoia faded away as I started to realize that most of them were just not reasonable. A change in my medication could have also helped with the addition of Invega. I do have to add though that the paranoia was just a precursor to entering a world of auditory hallucinations I’m still locked into.
I have so many things I am paranoid about that I am not going to tell these here, but somehow I have managed to keep these under control for many years with meds and specific methods.
I get bouts of extreme paranoia that I deal with by working volunteer mornings then if get paranoia I can go home and rest till the paranoia subsides I have vicious circle with anxiety
Over time the paranoia bouts are further apart I can go thirteen days without paranoia attack
I tend to take sup of wine when I get them which helps ok because that’s only time I drink alcohol
@zeno simply love everyone , treat strangers like you treat the family and friends and it will solve your
paranoia.
I treat them good but I feel that everyone is watching me or that someone may cut my throat.
I think that you have intrusive thoughts.
I am constantly fighting intrusive thoughts as well.
Your paranoia really consists of intrusive thoughts.
Try to remember that these are not wanted thoughts but intrusive thoughts, and try to gradually get rid of them.
This is true for @catchme as well.
In my case they are not thoughts, they are real feelings (like anxiety).
So intrusive feelings.
It really boils down to intrusive brain content.
I also feel that often negative thoughts and feelings and stuff like that cross my mind.
I quickly label these thoughts/feelings as intrusive brain content, and I believe that if you quickly notice them and say-
these things are not me, it’s just intrusive brain content it will help you to minimize their effect on you.
That is true of you @catchme as well.
I fight them with my head but it is like a wound, you passively feel pain and you can’t control it.
If you keep fighting I believe that your situation will improve.
At least it’s possible, I find that I have managed to improve my management of intrusive brain content.
So it’s possible at least for some people.
Keep trying.
I say- try to control not just your paranoid thoughts, but ANY unwanted thoughts.
ANY intrusive brain content.
For example ANY unwanted brain content I spot- for example a thought that I find too egotistic,
I immediately flag it and stop thinking about it.
@catchme
I’m on 15 mg Abilify.
I had paranoia like this! I thought I was on an extremely long episode of Punk’d or I was really being filmed for a school project of someone. I looked all over YouTube thinking I’d gone viral either there or on Facebook or something! Totally didn’t believe it was me going crazy until the fourth year! Glad to see I am not the only one.
I’m on Risperdal and Remron with Klonopin as a PRN. It seems to work most of the time.