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My daughter is showing signs of parnoia

Posted , 9 users are following.

carl37420
carl37420

hello a few weeks ago my daughter started saying that she thinks one of her frends had done something to her phone and was tracking her so we changed passwords ect and didnt really think anything else of it, the last 2 weeks she has started saying that everyone is looking at her and people can see her even thou they are not they, she say every time she thinks about someone they can tell and can see her, and this thing in her head and body wont go away. she seems to be getting worse by the day and im really worried, we have taken her to the doc and he gave her sleeping tablet and has referred her but said it could take a while. any advice and this would be really helpful. im sorry if i havent explained this very well but its not easy. thanks

3 likes, 22 replies

22 Replies

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  • gabriella44865
    gabriella44865 carl37420

    Posted

    Well I'm no doctor but it sounds like it could be a form of OCD - more the obsessive side of it rather than the compulsive behaviours. Did anything trigger this? What did her friend do to her phone to make her worry? 

  • mari34228
    mari34228 carl37420

    Posted

    Hi Carl, you don't say how old your daughter is? I'm going to assume a teen? Has she been feeling anxious about something lately? The only thing I can think is to combat her thoughts with questions. Acknowledge she is feeling/thinking something, but then ask her if she thinks they are reasonable thoughts to have. Don't dismiss her, just gently try to get her to think for herself if they are reasonable. Ask her if she didn't think like that before, what has changed now? Try and get her to think as logically as possible. And try not to panic! I'm sure you are worrying about all sorts of diagnoses, but it might 'only' be anxiety causing these thoughts. Which isn't to say that is something to just be ignored, but try not to worry yourself about other possibilities right now.

    If you feel that things are getting worse you could always ask the GP to speed up the referral. They will do this if there is a concern for her safety. Or, if you feel things are getting particularly bad and can't wait, take her to A&E as they have psych docs there who will assess her straight away.

    Best wishes to you and your daughter.

  • carl37420
    carl37420

    Posted

    shes 20, she found something in her search history and she didnt know what is was, we rang apple and they said they didn't know what it was, one of her friends ex boyfriend hack her phone before and he had used my daughter found once so she started worrying, she was convince people could see her via the camera and im thinking this started it all, she says it never goes away even when she asleep, her mother slept in with here last night as she was worried about her in the middle of the night her mother woke up coughing and my daughter said she made it happen because she was thinking about her, its just all a bit strange. we are taking here back to the doctors in the morning so hope they speed it up a bit

    • mari34228
      mari34228 carl37420

      Posted

      Hi, it does sound to me like anxiety. I've had it all my life and suffered from paranoid thoughts when I was young. Does she have much in the way of distractions? If she is busy with other things it will give her less time to sit and overthink things. A routine can be helpful at keeping anxiety at bay. And if she is worried about her phone camera, she could put a sticker over it. I have one on my laptop camera! Unfortunately people can and do hack such things, so she isn't being completely unreasonable when it comes to that...she just seems to have let these thoughts get somewhat out of control and they seem to be morphing into other fears and unusual thoughts. 

      Hopefully she will get some help soon. Best wishes

  • mary73539
    mary73539 carl37420

    Posted

    Referring to the first response, this does not sound like OCD at all. It seems to be general Paranoia.
  • josephine90941
    josephine90941 carl37420

    Posted

    It sounds like she has Paranoid Personality Disorder. There are medications that can help with that. There is hope. Is she seeing a Psychiatrist or therapist? She needs to be screened for this disorder by a Psychiatrist so they can determine what course of treatment is available for her. Please don't let this go, as it only gets worse. It can't be willed away as it is a chemical imbalance in the brain.

    • mari34228
      mari34228 josephine90941

      Posted

      Josephine, I'm not sure you can make such a huge assumption from what Carl has written! How to panic the poor man! Anxiety can cause such thoughts too. 

    • josephine90941
      josephine90941 mari34228

      Posted

      I was in no way trying to "panic" anyone. Please read my post again, before jumping to conclusions and judging me. I was saying she needs to be screened for mental health disorders/PPD. The original poster brought up "paranoia" in his thread and original post.

    • mari34228
      mari34228 josephine90941

      Posted

      Josephine I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sorry that I did. I just thought it was a rather strong statement to make about a specific disorder and from the way you wrote it you seemed rather convinced that it was this one particular thing. Anyway, I want to apologise. My moods are all over the place at the moment and yes I was rather abrupt. I'm usually more considered in my responses and I wasn't that time, sorry.

  • josephine90941
    josephine90941 carl37420

    Posted

    Hi Carl,

    Due to a very rude and judgemental response I received, I am going to leave this Discussion. I try to give the best advice possible and would never purposely try to "panic" or offend anyone. My post came from my heart and I truly do care, and I hope your daughter feels better soon.

    • carl37420
      carl37420 josephine90941

      Posted

      Hello Josephine

      Thank you I really appreciate your comments and no way bit you panic me more than i already am, I wrote paranoia in the discretion as it does sound like that, the reason i ask for help and advice is im worried about it getting worse and whats going to happen in the future, thank you everyone for your replies and I will keep you updated.

  • stephie2
    stephie2 carl37420

    Posted

    The main thing is to get her assessed by the local community mental health team and get a diagnosis.  Only then can they start to help.  Just be there for her until then and try to keep her calm and reassure her that things will be ok in time.  It must be a scary time for her and also a worrying time for you as a parent. 

    I hope they get her the help she needs soon and let us know how she is getting on.

  • lucy1969
    lucy1969 carl37420

    Posted

    Hi Carl

    I'm so sorry you are all going through this. It must be so frightening for all concerned.

    There are so many reasons/diagnoses for which paranoia can be a symptom. OCD can trigger paranoia, as can paranoid personality disorder, anxiety, depression, bi-polar.... the list is huge. And only a qualified mental health specialist can make a formal diagnosis. Not even a GP can do it.

    How did your GP appointment go this morning?

    Mental health services can be frustratingly slow, even once you're actually in the system. My advice would be to push as hard as you can. I'm not a naturally pushy person but have noticed those who can be firm and insistent do get seen quicker.

    And as has already been said, if she deteriorates or you think she is at imminent risk, take her to A&E.

    Good luck and keep us posted.

  • carl37420
    carl37420

    Posted

    Just a quick update, the doctor just said nothing she can do at the moment, will just have to wait for the referral If she gets any worse in the next few days I will take her to A&E. Thanks all

    • stephie2
      stephie2 carl37420

      Posted

      Hi Carl

      When your GP makes a referral to the mental health team it is triaged and then if they decide she needs treatment the case is discussed in a weekly MDT meeting where they decide what needs to happen from there.  Your GP can always expedite the appointment too if they are concerned.  You too can contact the mental health team and ask what the outcome of the MDT meeting was and how long you are looking at for an appointment.  Hope this helps

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