Can Bipolar Disorder cause paranoia?

[red_head72022]

I tend to be really paranoid. I get even more paranoid when I'm under stress and that's when I start seeing movement out of the corner of my eyes and start hearing noises in the house. It's even been so bad that I've walked pass a dark room and a pile of clothes looks to me like a monster or something and I almost have an anxiety attack right there. My heart starts racing, I start breathing heavier. My mom wont listen to me because I tend to be a little on the hyperchondriact side.

No one in my family is Paranoid Schizophrenic.

It really worries me.

Please help.

[bernie40]

I think paranoia must be part of BP from looking at the replies and also from my own experience.  I have fallen out with friends because of it, I also add lots of things together and come up with theories that confirm my feelings must be right and when I look back at the things I thought and said etc I realise I was being completely paranoid.  I also pre think things, if I'm supposed to be meeting someone about something specific I go through loads of scenarios and conversations in my head and end up convincing myself that such and such will happen which of course raises my anxiety levels.  I tend to over-react to virtually everything when I am like this.  

It does tend to manifest itself when I am particularly stressed and I have found that since I have taken steps to reduce my stress levels I am nowhere near so bad.  Also I think medication has helped "calm" me down.

[determined2beatit]

Hi,
I have Bipolar and when things get really bad, like extremely stressful for me, I also see things/images out of the corner of my eyes. If I look at it head on it disappears. My doc put me on Geodon and it goes away. It only occurs during times of great stress and it starts to happen and yes that would make anyone paranoid!!! It's scary! If you think you see something but are aware that it's not there or real then there's a difference. My doc explained it to me. Apparently these hallucinations are milder than other types and because they are peripheral, it seems to be considered better.
If you ask me, I don't see how anything you see that's not there is mild!!
But, I guess in terms of diagnosing...there are differences, so it seems. At any rate,I find that if I see things, I start to constantly look around fearing it'll happen again and when it does, I get really scared and paranoid. My doc said it's Bipolar with psychotic features and nothing else. Hope this helps.

[Venora Moonwind]

Hi  , Yes for me it definalty does.last major episode I ended up in the hospital again because I had deciced to go off my meds.Paranoia and schizo as well.I do try to keep my stress level down and I have been stable for quite sometime now so I dont get that way anymore.
Love Venora

[imahypercondriat]

i get that think my work collegues are out to get me conspiring wispering behind my back also think that my mum is treating me unfairly
i have walked out on jobs fell out with friends and strangers because of it

[Delusion]

I am exactly the same with the same kind of people in the same kind of contexts :(
Sometimes it will start like im feeling very low and one of my friends cancels soemthing and it gets me more low and when im in those kinds of moods loads of little things like that add together and i think ah im back here again everyone hates me they think im a freak and i end up locking myself away or only coming out drunk.

Present moment im feeling fine and i can tell that past things ive just said have been because im paranoid and depressed its just at those times i sometimes carnt see it and likely neither can you.

Its one thing i find very hard to deal with as its caused by things happening usually..

[red_head72022]

It affects my relationships a lot. I always think my friends/family/love interests are lying to me. I try to play it off like I don't think that they are lying to me, but I get really obsessive about it some times and it can drive my mood DOWN. I also sometimes add up little things until I have this whole theory about why they're lying to me (this is only severe cases though). I also always acuse my mom of giving me strange looks or thinking bad things about me. Don't know if that's part of it, but just to be sure I'm gonna throw that out there.

[Delusion]

When it is serious yes it most certainly is something associated with Bipolar. Many people with bipolar can suffer from delusions and hallucinations and many bipolar sufferers share symptoms with paranoid schizophrenics. How much of a real problem would you say its posing to you?