[sacasa]

Hi, I'm Sam and I'm new to these forums.

Once upon a time (about a year ago) I had a really strange episode where I was paranoid about everything. first I thought that someone in one of my college classes was a bomber, then I started to think that all of my classes would be attacked by a gunman and I was terrified every second of each one. Eventually I just stopped going to some of my classes because I was too scared. Then I was convinced the buses I was taking would be bombed and started walking 45 minutes to school and back instead of taking the bus. Then I started to feel unsafe in my apartment and thought someone in my building (my downstairs neighbor was going to demolish the building. Then I started to worry that someone would try to shoot me through my walls or door so I found the safest places in my apt to dodge a bullet. A bit later I was convinced that my downstairs neighbor wanted to shoot me through her ceiling and that was the final straw that made me leave school and come home. It continued for a bit at home (to a slightly lesser degree) but eventually the thoughts stopped.

My Psychiatrist (actually a nurse practitioner who specializes in psychiatric medication management) thinks that this qualifies as a kind of manic episode, but I'm not sure about that. I do have major depressive episodes, but I don't know if they're actually part of a bipolar spectrum disorder or not.

Does this sound at all like bipolar symptoms to you? Because I think that was more of a paranoid episode related to my problems with anxiety but unrelated to the other disorder(s) I have. Thanks in advance. Hope to get to know you all

What you've described could very well be a type of manic episode, and that you have depressive episodes too really makes me think you're bipolar. The anxiety can definitely be part of a "negative mania".

[kaliope]

doesnt sound like any mania i ever had. i would definately get a second opinion on that. unless you were full of energy and couldnt sleep. sounds more like a thought disorder. paranoid delusions. i think some strange stuff when i am manic but i have many other symptoms as well. my anxiety does do some whacked out stuff to me. makes me see things that arent there creating an overall feeling of being unsafe. i think it could be related to that. i would see a doctor. take care.

[TheatreKid]

It sounds like paranoid delusions. You'd need other symptoms of mania to be diagnosable as manic. Things like racing thoughts, decreased need for sleep, impulsivity, recklessness, inflated self esteem, grandiosity... this is the DSM IV diagnostic criteria for a manic episode: DSM IV Criteria for Manic Episode (I couldn't find the DSM V)

I second the recommendation to see a doctor.

[sacasa]

Originally Posted by kaliope

i would see a doctor. take care.

Originally Posted by TheatreKid

I second the recommendation to see a doctor.

I'm already scheduled to see a psychologist later this week so hopefully she can get a better idea of what all my symptoms mean. Thanks, guys!

Could definitely be a psychotic episode, but that itself can be a part of mania. The stereotypical "positive" mania (elation, lots of energy, no or little sleep) is a common form of mania, but it is most definitely not the only kind of mania.

[shortandcute]

I know that depressive episodes are very much part of bipolar--in fact for years, I was dx'ed with MDD.

[{Trixy}]

Originally Posted by sacasa

Hi, I'm Sam and I'm new to these forums.

Once upon a time (about a year ago) I had a really strange episode where I was paranoid about everything. first I thought that someone in one of my college classes was a bomber, then I started to think that all of my classes would be attacked by a gunman and I was terrified every second of each one. Eventually I just stopped going to some of my classes because I was too scared. Then I was convinced the buses I was taking would be bombed and started walking 45 minutes to school and back instead of taking the bus. Then I started to feel unsafe in my apartment and thought someone in my building (my downstairs neighbor was going to demolish the building. Then I started to worry that someone would try to shoot me through my walls or door so I found the safest places in my apt to dodge a bullet. A bit later I was convinced that my downstairs neighbor wanted to shoot me through her ceiling and that was the final straw that made me leave school and come home. It continued for a bit at home (to a slightly lesser degree) but eventually the thoughts stopped.

My Psychiatrist (actually a nurse practitioner who specializes in psychiatric medication management) thinks that this qualifies as a kind of manic episode, but I'm not sure about that. I do have major depressive episodes, but I don't know if they're actually part of a bipolar spectrum disorder or not.

Does this sound at all like bipolar symptoms to you? Because I think that was more of a paranoid episode related to my problems with anxiety but unrelated to the other disorder(s) I have. Thanks in advance. Hope to get to know you all

Doesn't sound like bipolar episodes to me either. I've received all kinds of diagnosis such as bipolar 1 & 2 only to have it removed and properly diagnosed with personality disorder. My delusions lately since having the earthquakes are while I'm driving on the freeway I see it splitting wide open. Another paranoid delusion recently is walking stairs instead of taking elevators because I think it may break and I will fall to my death. These worries can happen however there unrealistic As who walks 5 flights of stairs out of fear? i do see the paranoia in these situations however while I'm "thinking" these things they seem realistic and valid.
One thing I have noticed with paranoia is when I mindfully chose not to give these thoughts energy they do seem to dissipate. I hope this helps..

[otroo]

I have had paranoia in manic episodes before. I would go to another person and see what they say.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sacasa]

Originally Posted by {Trixy}

Doesn't sound like bipolar episodes to me either. I've received all kinds of diagnosis such as bipolar 1 & 2 only to have it removed and properly diagnosed with personality disorder. My delusions lately since having the earthquakes are while I'm driving on the freeway I see it splitting wide open. Another paranoid delusion recently is walking stairs instead of taking elevators because I think it may break and I will fall to my death. These worries can happen however there unrealistic As who walks 5 flights of stairs out of fear? i do see the paranoia in these situations however while I'm "thinking" these things they seem realistic and valid.
One thing I have noticed with paranoia is when I mindfully chose not to give these thoughts energy they do seem to dissipate. I hope this helps..

From the reading I've done I think I might actually have a personality disorder as well. Both paranoid personality disorder and borderline personality disorder just seem to fit me so well. Most of my delusional thinking revolves around guns and bombs and it can spiral out of control really easily. I've been in a movie theater before and been convinced that someone was going to have a gun, then that passed and I became convinced that someone was going to lock the doors and release poisonous gas. And those thoughts just won't go away so I start to panic. I still avoid public transportation and movie theaters because of it. It seems so real in the moment and it's terrifying. I'm hoping that my new psychologist will be able to teach me coping skills like you mentioned because I try to not let the thoughts affect me, but they still just get worse and worse until fight or flight kicks in, and obviously I flee because there's nothing real to fight lol.

[blackwhitered]

That sounds like a psychotic episode, which can occur during mania, but there's nothing specifically manic about what you described.

Originally Posted by sacasa

Hi, I'm Sam and I'm new to these forums.

Once upon a time (about a year ago) I had a really strange episode where I was paranoid about everything. first I thought that someone in one of my college classes was a bomber, then I started to think that all of my classes would be attacked by a gunman and I was terrified every second of each one. Eventually I just stopped going to some of my classes because I was too scared. Then I was convinced the buses I was taking would be bombed and started walking 45 minutes to school and back instead of taking the bus. Then I started to feel unsafe in my apartment and thought someone in my building (my downstairs neighbor was going to demolish the building. Then I started to worry that someone would try to shoot me through my walls or door so I found the safest places in my apt to dodge a bullet. A bit later I was convinced that my downstairs neighbor wanted to shoot me through her ceiling and that was the final straw that made me leave school and come home. It continued for a bit at home (to a slightly lesser degree) but eventually the thoughts stopped.

My Psychiatrist (actually a nurse practitioner who specializes in psychiatric medication management) thinks that this qualifies as a kind of manic episode, but I'm not sure about that. I do have major depressive episodes, but I don't know if they're actually part of a bipolar spectrum disorder or not.

Does this sound at all like bipolar symptoms to you? Because I think that was more of a paranoid episode related to my problems with anxiety but unrelated to the other disorder(s) I have. Thanks in advance. Hope to get to know you all

A second opinion might be helpful. Your symptoms might be bipolar, or they might be related to anxiety. Someone I know reported similar symptoms, and was correctly diagnosed with anxiety disorder. Disorders can mimic each other.

I feel that a good psychiatrist will take a detailed history, and monitor you over several weeks before coming to a "diagnosis". That's what my psychiatrist did -- she put me on a mood stabilizer early on, but she didn't come out with a "diagnosis" until she had more information.

Originally Posted by TheatreKid

... You'd need other symptoms of mania to be diagnosable as manic. Things like racing thoughts, decreased need for sleep, impulsivity, recklessness, inflated self esteem, grandiosity... this is the DSM IV diagnostic criteria for a manic episode: DSM IV Criteria for Manic Episode (I couldn't find the DSM V)...

I think TheatreKid makes a good point here. It's important to remember that diagnoses are based on a bunch of symptoms. Even if someone has a symptom or two that fall under a given diagnosis doesn't mean they have that particular disorder. Diagnoses are based both on meeting a given threshold number of symptoms as well as the extent of their negative impact upon one's functioning. Granted, not every person diagnosed with something is going to have every single symptom listed for a given condition, but they're going to have quite a number of them(!) (At minimum the number required for a given dx.) As others have pointed out, there are quite a number of symptoms that are found listed under various diagnoses. Anxiety is a great example. It's an element in SO many disorders. It's in taking a solid history, looking at the bigger picture and seeing what other symptoms might be present and context that the most accurate diagnoses will happen.

(The context thing comes to mind because if someone actually did experience some of those things --IRL not just in their mind -- they would be very likely to have a heightened sense of fear of them, possibly even waaay out of proportion to likelihood. It's context. If one were living in a war-torn country, a pervasive fear of bombing could be considered reasonable. In a peaceful place… not so much…)

I agree with the others about getting another opinion. If they're quick to jump to a conclusion based on very little information, keep looking. Good luck!

[sunshine45]

Originally Posted by sacasa

Hi, I'm Sam and I'm new to these forums.

Once upon a time (about a year ago) I had a really strange episode where I was paranoid about everything. first I thought that someone in one of my college classes was a bomber, then I started to think that all of my classes would be attacked by a gunman and I was terrified every second of each one. Eventually I just stopped going to some of my classes because I was too scared. Then I was convinced the buses I was taking would be bombed and started walking 45 minutes to school and back instead of taking the bus. Then I started to feel unsafe in my apartment and thought someone in my building (my downstairs neighbor was going to demolish the building. Then I started to worry that someone would try to shoot me through my walls or door so I found the safest places in my apt to dodge a bullet. A bit later I was convinced that my downstairs neighbor wanted to shoot me through her ceiling and that was the final straw that made me leave school and come home. It continued for a bit at home (to a slightly lesser degree) but eventually the thoughts stopped.

My Psychiatrist (actually a nurse practitioner who specializes in psychiatric medication management) thinks that this qualifies as a kind of manic episode, but I'm not sure about that. I do have major depressive episodes, but I don't know if they're actually part of a bipolar spectrum disorder or not.

Does this sound at all like bipolar symptoms to you? Because I think that was more of a paranoid episode related to my problems with anxiety but unrelated to the other disorder(s) I have. Thanks in advance. Hope to get to know you all

Hi Sam,
Sure doesn't sound like a manic episode to me. I have Bipolar Disorder and when the mania is on the upswing I feel great....want to accomplish alot of things...yes, I shop more...anything is possible in my head w''hen I'm manic. I Also have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and that on the other hand had me fearful for some 30 years (before I got treated) that I was going to hurt people. I Wasn't worried that people would hurt me just that I couldn't trust myself and I would hurt them. Get a second opinion..
Sunshine45