Anxiety Around People Due To Being Stalked

[altkid]

My anxiety/paranoia stems from being multi-stalked by a group of people over a 16 month time span. I find it difficult being around people without feeling intense anxiety. I mistrust people and feel they don't have my best intentions at heart. When people are happy or nice to me I'm suspicious of their true intentions. Recently I've started having intrusive thoughts - almost like an OCD thing and self blame. I have reoccuring dreams concerning my stalking. I wake up several times during the night. Last night I had a nightmare that seemed very real - a stalker was in my bedroom with a knife but I couldn't move because I was trapped. I constantly have anxiety and feel like people are judging me and watching me. I want to get help but it's difficult to explain my situation which is still occurring to this day. I'm scared my stalkers will be reading this.
I dissociate alot to escape the trauma of the situation I'm in. I have intense bouts of anger triggered by different events concerning my current situation. I haven't officially been diagnosed with PTSD but I have most of the symptoms.
I know I need help for the way I'm feeling but I don't know how to go about it. The stalking is blatantly occuring but I don't have proof to show that it is. It is only clear to me and those involved. What do I do?

 

[a3a2]

Hey altkid,

Is there someone you can get to take you to therapy so you feel safe? Or at least safer?

 

[Deleted member 541]

There are a couple of things that come to mind about your situation, but the obvious would be......Go to the authorities, tell your story, and see what type of help that they can offer. The second, would be go to a psychiatrist to be evaluated, to see if you actually do have PTSD. Self diagnosis is NOT the way to go.

 

[ams]

altkid, I suggest going to the police and tell them you're scared and need help with this. Being stalked is nothing to joke around with and many stalkers adapt and their behavior escalates. I agree with others here and feel that a professional needs to evaluate your symptoms and do a proper diagnosis and talking to the police would be your best option .

 

[rjtransient]

Interesting. I'm in the same situation.

Talk to someone. Friends, family members, whoever.

Don't count on the police. Cyberstalking is a new frontier for them. Go to the online authorities. Google "anti-stalking" and "cyberstalking" and get into contact with someone at Cyber Angels or Coyote Com. I can't vouch for those sites -- because I know my emails have been intercepted, so I've been keeping my own fight mostly offline so far -- but there will be somebody to listen to your story and take it seriously. The person who wrote Surviving a Stalker allegedly runs an online support group.

Do they know you in person?

Have they overtly threatened you, or have they been keeping a low profile?

Unless there's a direct threat or unless their behaviour has given you reason to fear for your physical safety, the police will only tell you to stay away from them and to change your computer password. If you can find a therapist, do it. People have no idea what prolonged psychological intimidation tactics can do to a person. You can't control the actions of your pursuers, but you can manage your symptoms.

Keep a record. I don't know your specifics, but every time they contact you (or impersonate you, or try to break into your computer, or [fill-in-the-blank]) get it on paper with a time and date. The more tangible the proof, the better. I had to hire an IT forensics professional to officially document that the network on my desktop computer had, in fact, been compromised, but his visit wasn't cheap, and by the time he arrived this stalking episode had been going on for years.

Keep a journal. Stalkers with IQs above 90 don't generally send death threats to your e-mail account or lurk around your property at night. The incidents are usually subtle, so keep a written record; if nothing else, writing tends to help with anxiety, and it's easier to have a stack of papers on hand to shove at a therapist than to try and explain a convoluted situation all in one sitting.

Like the previous poster said, being stalked is nothing to joke about.