Is There a Difference Between Paranoia and Anxiety?

It helps to know the difference between paranoia and anxiety. If I am experiencing paranoia, it involves delusions like someone is out to get me (suspicion and distrust) or has betrayed me. I frequently battle the delusion that someone is poisoning my food. My paranoia can cause anxiety, but the two do not have to be present together. My anxiety attacks often have ties to worry (like health concerns, the health of a loved one, public speaking, etc.), but not always. I can have an anxiety attack where I can't identify a triggering cause. 

Different Approaches to Paranoia and Anxiety

Distinguishing between paranoia and anxiety is important because the interventions that work for me when I am experiencing anxiety are not at all similar to what works for me for an episode of paranoia. When I am anxious, my heart rate increases, and I become agitated and uncomfortable. Anxiety can often revolve around something like going to the doctor or waiting for test results (a typical response for me at these times), and techniques like deep breathing and grounding exercises can help lessen my anxiety. 

When I am anxious, it frequently helps if my husband lies on me and hugs me. The pressure from his body weight allows me to return my focus to my body instead of anxious thoughts. The comfort of his closeness can calm or help regulate my nervous system, mainly when we synchronize our breathing. None of these techniques would work for me when I am paranoid.

Talk and action are the two best things to get me through a paranoid episode. When I am paranoid, I frequently ask my husband questions about the delusion (when I feel suspicious or have difficulty trusting). I can ask him the same question several ways as I try to work through the symptoms. My husband answers each question logically and points out details of the scenario that don't match my delusion. For example, if I am paranoid that a friend is trying to sabotage something I am doing, he will point out that she has always been supportive and other facts about our history together. We often go through this exercise until I can stop running the scenario through my mind or until I can successfully change the narrative because of details my husband pointed out that chip away at the original delusion.

I must know the difference between paranoia and anxiety to communicate my most persistent symptoms to therapists and doctors. By verbalizing and explaining with some accuracy what is happening, professionals can better treat my symptoms and provide me with tools and skills to relieve these symptoms of my mental illness when they present in my daily life. Please note that your paranoia and anxiety symptoms may be unique to you.