Paranoia Is Getting Worse ...help !

[Pixi23]

So I am moved in with my abusive parents...have been for like 7 months.
My paranoia is really bad.
I'll take a shower and hear a thud and think my "father" is killing my mother...he has said he would anyway...very gory details...I'll picture how he would kill her it scares me so bad because my mom is my best friend.
At work, I'll think a guy who looks a certain way may have a gun and may try to kill me.
Most of my paranoia surrounds men.
I'm diagnosed GAD, Severe PTSD and I think I have BPD.
I feel crazy sometimes...does anyone else get super paranoid ?
How do you deal with paranoia ??

 

[Deleted member 19804]

I am so sorry you have to live in these circumstances. May I ask, how old are you?
Your "father" sounds very abusive. If he is actually threatening to kill your mother, you may and you should ask for help. Contact the police. I don't know exactly how it works in the US, but in my country you can walk into a police station and talk to an officer, ask them what they can do to keep you all safe. You don't even have to officially report it. Or perhaps there's a women's shelter that you (and your mom) can go to? Either way, this is not a safe or healthy place to live for either of you.

But to answer your question, I get paranoid, too. What helps for me is to do a (mental) exercise, where I list what I am afraid of, how likely that is to be true, what other explanations could there be, et cetera. So for example, when you see someone at work look at you like that again, make yourself stay in reality. How big is the chance that he'll actually have a gun? And that he's going to hurt you with it? What other explanations could there be that he is looking this way, maybe he's tired or he's wearing a certain outfit because his favorite clothes still have to be washed? Look up statistics if you have to.

Hope this helps you out. Please take care of yourself, you do not deserve to live like this, and neither does your mother. Virtual hug if you'd like one :hug:

 

[ghotiff]

It helps me if I know what triggers me. For example if it was a blue jumper that always did it and he was wearing a blue jumper then I can confidently tell myself that I am safe, it's just because he's wearing a blue jumper.

 

[Pixi23]

Ive already been to a shelter. My fibro was too painful to keep walking up the steps and into the top bunk. I actually got triggered more by the women who did drugs and such in there...dunno why.

 

[Justmehere]

Maybe a CBT or ACT workbook could help? I have done a few and it's helped me be less scared.