My fear of people is at it's worse when mixed. When severely depressed I'm so checked out of everything that "usually" I have no clue why I can't get out....I'm just much too sick and low energy for movement of any kind. I struggle to eat, drink, sleep, bath or even change my clothing. My paranoias about people stem from stress and delusions which occur when I'm in a mixed state of depression and mania. I was very unwell beginning in about late November and just started to break through the surface of insanity a few weeks ago. I've been relatively stable for a few weeks thank goodness as I have a lot on my plate right now and people who need me....I've been able to get out and communicate with people without too much difficulty. Let's face it...people can be jerks....they say the wrong things and can be very insensitive.....but it does not feel as personal right now, nor as sinister. People think they are helping so their intentions are good and I try to see them through that lens and perception right now. I'm currently well enough to pull it off......but yes, I've spent a great deal of my life being terrified of people.....I've been very isolated most of my life because of paranoia. I was attacked by massive groups of people....people who didn't even know me and had zero reason to do so but mob mentality is real and devastating......it caused me to have a break from reality and see most people as the enemy and believe they wished me and my family harm. Sometimes i was right and sometimes wrong. It confuses matters. It's smart to protect ourselves but not to the point of utter isolation. I'm working on getting better with all this......I didn't used to know I was delusional.....I thought I had psychic powers and could read people's intentions.....now that I know I have this mental illness clouding and distorting things, I have hope I can work with my problems and get better.