Mini paranoia? Paranoia lite?

Is there such a thing? I don't feel as if people are out to do me harm, but sometimes I feel like they're mad at me, talking about me, laughing at me, etc. I have Bipolar Disorder for which I cannot tolerate medication, but I don't know if there's a connection. I don't feel this way all the time, I just have bouts of it. Is anyone familiar with what I'm talking about?

Yes! I feel surges of this happen every so often. I don't know if it's paranoia or anxiety or more like over sensitivity. It causes a lot of fear and distress to me to feel this way, and I think there's a bit of an abandonment fear tied into it as well.

It's essentially the difference between being "neurotic" over "psychotic".
An individual suffering from "paranoid delusions", a manifestation of psychosis, will be distrstful and "paranoid" of others. Irrationally believing that others out to get them, no matter the evidence saying otherwise. They truly believe someone is trying to harm than.
Now neuroticism is more or less anxiety, a high strung an worried individual. Someone who is neurotic may feel like someone is trying to harm them but will constantly put this into question. They are fearful, fearing unlikely but possible situations. Affairs, muggings abuse. These fears are usually brief, recurrent and manageable. It usually stems from abandonment anxiety or other anxieties. And finally, unlike psychosis, this paranoia will subside with reasonable evidence disputing the fears.

very useful post

thanks for that