I remember the first time I got really paranoid. I was in college and I had moved out of an apartment and back to campus because of some stressful things going on in the apartment.

I happened to move into a dorm that faced my boyfriend's ex girlfriend's dorm. I got this strong feeling that he was visiting her and being with her behind my back so I spent hours sitting and watching out the window to see if I could see her. I knew that I would be able to see just by looking at her that she had been with him. I would look for her at lectures, in the library, in the dining hall and all over campus. I became a real loner. I should say that my boyfriend lived two hours away and he visited me on weekends.

I remember thinking that everyone in the dorm thought I was "the weird girl" down the hall and that they were always looking at me and talking about me. My only comfort was looking for this girl.

I know this doesn't seem like a major episode, but the paranoia has been pervasive and persistent ever since. It has been 17 years.

Can others share the first episode of illness they ever had?