I haven't had any psychotic episodes involving voices speaking to me or experienced being paranoid in the clinical sense. However, during hypomanic episodes what with all the thoughts racing, I have tended to connect up things that probably really were not related. I suppose I would call it suspicious thinking that is not to the level of being psychotic. I have had people close to me who did have psychotic episodes and have worked with people who had psychotic episodes, so I guess I feel like I know the difference.