Mental breakdown And Paranoia

[Dr.Strangehorn]

About a few weeks ago I was under a great deal of stress, working quite a bit. I was thinking heavily about my childhood and my parents for some reason. And at some point I just snapped then fell apart. I thought everything was okay and that I could just keep going like nothing was wrong, but I began to suffer from paranoid delusions.
I'm not sure if its just because I have a strong imagination, or because my intellect is just running away with itself but I started having these strange fantasies. I became convinced that Newscasters on television were talking about me and judging the most intimate personal details of my life, and that my family was plotting to kill me. I thought nothing was wrong and that I could just bore ahead, but three days ago, for no reason at all, I became convinced the government was plotting against me, as if I had become Dale Gribbel. I even took off, left my home and loved ones for absolutely no reason at all thinking that if I didn't flee to start a new life elsewhere, that they would kill me. I began imagining conversations were taking place that didn't and sometimes I'll feel this stinging pain in my back and neck at times. I also have lost a great deal of weight and only eat about 300-400 calories a day. Sometimes I'll be extremely confused and forgetful. I've never been prone to paranoia before in my life, is relaxion the answer? I'm going to start seeing a therapist soon.
I'm fairly demanding of myself, and sometimes its almost like my perfectionist personality will run away with itself. Like I feel the whole world is out to get me and an overwhelming sense of failure. As if everyone is judging my every action, and I'm always being judged in the absolute most negative light. I've had problems with anxiety before, I wonder too if somehow my anxiety and occasional difficulties dealing with being in public combined with my self judgmental nature, the stress and everything else to cause it. Has anyone ever experienced anything like this?

 

[accuratehorn]

Stress and traumatic life events can cause anxiety and depression, but your symptoms could also presage mental conditions. Would you consider printing out your post, and showing it to your therapist? Hopefully, he/she will have coping/treatment strategies which will help overcome these problems. Many things are very treatable.
And sometimes a treatable medical condition can cause problems (stabbing pain in the neck?), so a physical exam may be a good idea.
We have a nephew with a mental condition, and he refuses to get help for it, which has turned his life upside down (he is in jail now), and turned the family against him.
Please seek help soon, and follow the doctor/thereapist's advice.

 

[HornsOverIthaca]

I have some anxiety problems. I figured I'd grow out of it, but eventually I realized that wasn't going to happen. It really spiked freshman year of college. The change of surroundings and people wasn't much fun for me in the beginning. Lost a bunch of weight. I went to see a therapist and they were able to help me significantly. I was feeling better the next day. Of course it's an up and down process. Occasionally I have a flare up of senseless anxiety, stress, or anger but I have a xanax prescription to combat that.

 

[theropods]

Go see a therapist now. Today, don't wait. Go to the ER if you have to. It could be stress or it could be chemical, but you need to talk to someone about it today to figure out what's going on and what you need to do. There is no reason for you to have to live with that kind of a burden. Go get some help. Best of luck!

 

[OldHippie]

The other responces are right. There is no sense in experiencing these paranoid thoughts if you can get help to ease your fears. Go see a therapist, psychiatrist or a physician who can refer you to an appropriate, qualified professional. Good luck.

 

[Heretic Horn]

Doc, I agree that printing your post and having a therapist read it is good advice. Your health is very important and it would be best to rely on the perspective of someone with training. Tell the therapist that you need to see them today. Take care of yourself.

 

[Black Ninja]

I don't know if this is the same thing or not. But the combination of being in the military and nearly watching my wife die in childbirth and a few weeks after that, I've become so wrapped up in death that I barely can keep on top of it. I get quite a bit of anxiety driving around town (Fort Worth) because I keep thinking that all it's going to take is one car or truck to pull over on me and I'll never see my wife or child again OR we'll all die together. I can't sleep at night anymore because I only think about my parents dying, me dying, somebody in the family or that I know dying. Probably what's worse though is that I'm worried that one night my wife is going to die in her sleep from an aneurism, or that despite the fact that it's been two years, she's going to start "bleeding" again the way she did after the birth of our daughter and two weeks after. I don't know if I can say if I'm better now that I'm back home or not, because when all this went down it REALLY effected how well I performed my job.

 

[Mack4President!]

Go talk it out w/ someone, ie wife, friend, doctor. Don't just let it sit and stir in you. Get positive about it. It seems like the paranoia has taken over your life. So you need to defuse it. Talk to a pastor... anyone.

 

[Bevo Incognito]

The only thing that works for me is exercise. Lots of brutal exercise. It think it's the endorphins.

 

[Anastasis]

Dude, you need to talk to a psychotherapist or a physician, preferably a psychiatrist, and ASAP. Don't take this lightly, esp with the paranoid delusions you are describing. A distant cousin of mine had a somewhat similar break. More depression than anxiety initially, then the paranoid delusions and ultimately hallucinations. She ended up trying to barricade her children in their rooms before she attempted to set the house on fire. She's alot better now after getting some help, but it was a real l scary situation for a while.

 

[zzzz]

Stress is likely a factor, but don't rely on messageboard advice. Please go see a psychiatrist.

 

[kgp]

In reply to:

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[GuadaHorn]

you need to go one way or the other. either go see a psychiatrist or embrace the truth that the entire world is against you!

 

[whickums]

All I can add is I'm very glad you were able to distinguish the delusions as just that and recognize you need help. It's extremely difficult to convince someone of reality and help them get treatment when they believe the delusions they're having.

 

[Hayden_Horn]

yeah, the self awareness is a ******* HUGE step. now please go talk to a therapist.

 

[zork]

How you doing? Update?

If you have calmed down and are not into the dr thing, not saying that is a good thing btw, then:

*Getting good rest every night,
*Eat a balanced diet,
*Drinking plenty of non soda liquids and plenty of water in there too,
*Take a B complex vitamin every other day. Investigate your diet with respect to other vitamin needs possibly but don't over do it.
*Exercise every day even if it is just walking around the block a few times. Natural endorphins from exercise do wonders for your brain if you are doing the above too.

Set some goals for your life, short term goals like the above and career, social, etc goals too. Future focus is good, it can help you keep from spiraling down, help you channel your brain towards planning for the good things ahead.

Understand that your mind is something you can help to control if you are able to do so, and have the inner confidence to self-regulate. Understanding you might have a problem or tendency towards imbalance is a huge hurdle too, so you are able to sense when you are tilting towards one of your episodes.

Find some friends and/or family to talk to about anything/everything that makes you happy. Understand that chemical imbalance is not always a quick fix correction. You need a support group beyond yourself no matter what.

Finally, long term solutions to short term problems are rarely if ever the answer. Get your rest, keep on fighting, never give up.

Good luck man. Hope you are feeling better. Getting help in whatever form might be the best thing to get your overall wellness plan for the future kick-started.

 

[zzzz]

I also wanted to urge you to try to eat better. Because stressing your body by starving it is only going to contribute to your mental stress.