Is it paranoia if it's true?

[Ballerina123]

Someone (you may know how you are) posed this question lastly and I've been thinking the same thing resently. So just wondered... Is it paranoia if it's true?

Thanks x

[Bellatrix]

I don't know either

[Ballerina123]

I don't know either

I think you know who asked it ;)

[whirlpools]

I've reformulated my reply to this about five times, and not come up with anything of substance. Basically, I don't know either.

[Patent Pending]

Hi,

I think it depends on what evidence you have to show it's true, and I think it really does depend on the situation at hand.

For example, if you think someone is following you, and you actually have proof (say, photos of them standing outside your house etc), they'd I'd say it's not paranoia.

However, if you believe all of your friends are talking behind your back because one person said something once, and you've got no actual proof to show that anyone else has ever said anything about you at all, then I'd say it's paranoia.

I think evidence is the key issue here, because when talking about MH issues, it can feel very real but it doesn't mean it is.

I hope that kind of makes sense.

x x x

[Pomegranate]

This is difficult. I think if you know something is true and have evidence to support that knowledge then it's possibly not paranoia. I see paranoia as being ideas or beliefs that may seem true but there is little actual evidence to support. It's really hard though. I don't think 'evidence' needs to be 'generally accepted' but equally single incidents aren't enough either. I guess part of it depends on whether or not you can accept there may be other possibilities or other ways to interprete things. If somebody can't and there is little evidence then maybe it is paranoia?

[Snow White.]

To me it depends on how you know it is true, what evidence there is. Otherwise the "truth" could be an extension of the paranoia.

[sherlock holmes]

It depends on if the 'truth' is something that can independently verified, and not just your own opinion or something you have no evidence for.

Often paranoia goes with delusions, and most people who are in the middle of a paranoid delusion believe it to be real, and would say they knew it was true and had evidence, but if other people were asked then they would say it wasn't real because they can see there's no evidence and that the other person is deluded.