Hello, there! I'd love to hear opinions about the difference between phobias and paranoia from people who experience OCD themselves.

I have been helping my 21 year old son with his mental illness for the past 7 years. He recently became more severe and paranoia became a new symptom when depression occurred. He doesn't trust mental health professionals so I've pretty much been it for most of these years. FYI, my older sister had identical problems. It's definitely genetic because he never met her due to her dying after surgery when she was in her late 30s.

Official professional diagnoses: GAD, Social Anxiety, Trichotillomania, various Phobias, OCD, Racing Thoughts, Intrusive Thoughts and more recently Paranoia.

It all started with social anxiety in 9th grade that presented itself with trichotillomania. Later diagnoses were added GAD, OCD. His trichotillomania went into remission in 11th grade and didn't return until two months ago when he started having paranoia.

Basically, this is what I understand. He became depressed due to a life situation that would cause depression in anyone. That increased his anxiety. That increased his OCD intrusive thoughts. He says the racing thoughts are tolerable but then the intrusive thoughts start racing he can't bear it.

Here's where paranoia started. He began to fear that his intrusive thoughts would get out into the world, that people would learn his mind thinks these horrible things. Such as fear he would blurt it out (he never has) or text it (he never has) or tell someone on the phone (he never has) or on the internet (he never has). So now he's paranoid of windows being open (so nobody will hear if he does verbally say something that he has never verbally said), and all types of electronics----computers, telephones, etc.

Two months ago the MD added an antidepressant to the antianxiety meds. That improved the racing thoughts and most of the intrusive thoughts. What few intrusive thoughts he would get would just float away. He was down to just one intrusive thought per day that he only OCD'd about for 15 minutes, whereas in the past he would OCD about one intrusive thought for days. BIG IMPROVEMENT.

But the paranoia remained. He knows it's irrational. He always has. It seemed he was more in the habit of being afraid of these things. So he started an antipsychotic three days ago. The paranoia instantly started to subside. He's not all the way there yet because he just started the medication, but it's definitely heading in the right direction.

Right now, he is PLAYING A VIDEO GAME. Not on the internet, but it's the first time he has used a computer in months.

My question is for anyone who has had paranoia with their OCD. Phobias are supposed to be challenged head on via exposure. If you've ever had paranoia, what has helped you overcome it? In so many ways, his paranoia is very similar to phobias. If we accidently leave a cell phone on the table, it's like he saw a spider if he had a spider phobia (which he doesn't.)

Am I off track here with connecting phobias and paranoia together when it comes to people with OCD? What he's really paranoid about is his own mind. It's like he doesn't trust his own mind. He explained it best to the MD: He has psychosis about his neurosis.

I forgot to add that mental health professionals have told me that it's very common for people with anxiety disorders to develop anxiety/paranoia about their anxiety disorders.