Is she paranoid?

[inspiredwoman]

I am worried about my roommate because she is always afraid, always looks around she told me someone would attack her.

[David H. Lipman]

I have always stated that...

Paranoia is just another word for a heightened sense of Situational Awareness.

However...

There are some people who have an irrational sense of paranoia not based on current events or with a relationship with their  surroundings but stems from psychological and physiological problems and/or chemical imbalances.

As a roommate, you are in a short-term relationship where there are consequences on both sides.  On one side you must balance your own safety and security because those who suffer from irrational paranoia have a tendency to "bring" negative circumstances upon themselves and those who surround them.  On the other side of the equation you must be supportive and not be combative and certainly not exploit that persons paranoia for amusement.

There are also times when we, the public, come to a faux conclusion of irrational paranoia based upon a lack of information and in that person's world they may have good reason to be paranoid.  One example would be the case of a stalker.  Those who are stalked may exhibit what seems to be irrational paranoiac behaviour  but the record and history shows that their paranoia was not irrational and we, the public, were too dismissive.

 

 

Edited June 29, 2018 by David H. Lipman
Edited for content, clarity, spelling and grammar

[inspiredwoman]

Hello David, thanks for the reply. I hope it will not come to the point where she will attack me. Could I talk to her about it? 

[David H. Lipman]

Yes.  But do it tactfully and respectfully.

[exile360]

This may sound a little strange, and please ignore it if it doesn't fit her situation, but I'm only bringing this up because I had a friend go through this recently.  Is your friend now taking or up until recently (like within the last 6 months or less) was taking the nerve medication Zanax?  I ask because, as I mentioned I had a friend go through issues with extreme paranoia and even complete delusional thinking caused by withdrawal from suddenly stopping the medication and until her doctor figured out what it was and diagnosed the issue, everyone close to her was beginning to believe that she might be losing her mind and/or possibly be showing signs of a serious illness like Schizophrenia.  Thankfully this turned out not to be the case and things calmed down once she got back onto the medication (she actually needed it for her nerves but stopped due to financial issues having lost her insurance).

Based on what I've read on the subject, it this issue tends to affect women more frequently than men and can be quite long lasting and rather extreme in some cases.

Again, if this doesn't fit your situation then please disregard it.  It was just a possibility I thought of based on what I saw her go through and thought it might be worth mentioning in case it fits your friend's situation.

[inspiredwoman]

I just noticed that her symptoms began when she came back from a vacation. I don't know if she is diagnosed or what because I am afraid to open up. Will it be a great idea if I talk to her nicely and take her to her favorite place? I just saw this article (https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/depression/ ) and I want to recommend it to her.

[Firefox]

23 hours ago, exile360 said:

Is your friend now taking or up until recently (like within the last 6 months or less) was taking the nerve medication Zanax?

If I am not mistaken, the correct drug in this case is Xanax

[exile360]

Ah, right you are.  Typo on my part, thanks