Paranoia, or anxiety??

[patient49]

Hi, I need to make sense out of my anxiousness that I get. I mean, It feels like I want to call it paranoia because I get anxious and tense in my mind/head and am in an unrealxed state. This comes on in response to constant worry, and when I stop worrying, and just realize I need to calm down I begin to gradually become calm. But the thing is that it will last for many hours, and to some extent it may last till the next day. Actually, I have been under constant concern and worry to some great extent about things for a while now, especially since a nervouse breakdown I had a year ago, still not recovered really! And this state of constant concern is what brings on my social paranoia, or anxiety. I feel like I have to relax myself, and get away from interacting with people when this gets bad. It happens kinda frequently. I mean it is almost always happening to some extent, but soemtimes  it is hardly there, sometimes it is not there at all and I feel basically relaxed and well. I mean not fully well because I am still telling myself that "I am still getting better" from that nervous breakdown I had a year ago". Does anyone else experience this or know what it sounds like? I basically get skeched out and begin a process of trying to relax. It comes and goes! Also, my head is often very tense, and my temple veins swell! Finally, I am often concerned about things, and cannot handle criticism. I am trying to get better, but need help understanding how severe it is. If you have any insight please let me know. i would really appreciate it!!  

[hell1971]

Yes it was bad, I had decided I was better and was coming off my meds, I didnt even make it half way through the reduction I became so deeply depressed it a very differrent way to how I am normally depressed, usually when I have a depressive episode its more like being overwhelmed but this episode I was so deeply sad and hopeless I didnt care anymore so and antidepressant (small dose)  was added to my mood stabiliser, I started to care again and of course when you care you worry, so the anxiety kicked in, the tightness in my stomach the hot flush in my face, I thought I was going to explode as I said before sometimes this would just happen and sometimes it would be the thoughts in my head and the normal realistic things to worry about and sometimes it would be simple things like having three jobs on the go, it would all be too much, my doctor said this is part of the depression and didnt think it would last long so her gave me lorazepam for a few weeks and now I dont use them, I am extremly stressed at the moment but it is not causing me to have a panick/anxiety attack anymore so i am slowly getting better. hope this helps, you are not alone, you can private message me if you want some support, I know that I wouldnt have got through some of my darkest and most frightning times without this site.  

[patient49]

Hi thank you so much for your response! I don't believe that my anxiousness is in the definition of unrealistic, but I suppose if I was being realistic I wouldnt stress, right?!  But thank you for your input, it is really helpful to know that people think this sounds like anxiety!! Thanks again!

[patient49]

Hi, thank you very much for your post! I was actually diagnosed with depression, so it is good to hear that someone else experiences worry and stress, exactly what I go through! So you are getting better? Did you feel as badly as I described? Thank you very much for you help!

[run4you]

Paranoia is fear that isn't realistic.

For instance, my diagnosis came from thinking there was someone outside my window/waiting for me outside to 'get me' when I left my house/look in my windows.

It sounds like anxiety to me as well... but I'd mention it the next time you see your pdoc to see what you can do about it/get a definitive answer :)

[hell1971]

It sounds like anxiety to me from my understanding but only a doctor is going to be able to tell you for sure. Just recently I have a bad depressive episode and changed meds, as I started to get better I didnt feel depressed anymore but I started to have anxiety attacks. Sometimes it was completley random and sometimes it would come on because of the constant stress and worry I had in my mind at that time. My doctor said it was a common thing to happen and is part of depression in my case and that he felt it would gradually get better which it has.