I have sudden paranoia about the most random things,especially about my bf

[Jessicaks]

Hi everyone,

I just thought I'd introduce myself aswell as ask a questions what kind of therapy has worked for you during extreme anxiety attacks.

I was diagnosed with bipolar, which I got from my father, who has a very extreme case of it, but he has gotten treatment and stopped drinking alcohol, and he is normal again (which I'm very happy about). However, I have had problems finding a caring psychiatrist in Sydney. Either, they don't listen to me, give me meds that are so old fashioned that they could hurt me, or don' t even believe I have bipolar. My last psychiatrist didn't believe me, eventhough I told her I had over 10 suicide attempts, and one extreme one in February, where I ended up in hospital, because I overdosed on sleeping pills...

I was wondering, if you have someone who is understanding in the city, please let me know...

Also, I have a bad case of anxieties, I have sleepless nights if something exciting happens the next day, even though it can be something good!
When I'm out in public and I do something stressful, or, for example, I was in my class, and a girl kept saying I was wrong, I felt like throwing up or passing out!

But, the worst case lately is that I don't trust men. I have a boyfriend, who I kept checking his computer and his handphone, but this has resulted me in finding things, where he flirted with girls etc... but now we're trying to work it out, he can't see my computer, and I can't see his.

It has been going well, since I concentrated more on how he treats me, but I can't help thinking he is doing something, and that I can't trust men overall...they will flirt behind my back anyways...
I don't know if it could be because my dad once cheated on my mother, but it has caused serious problems, where previous incidences come into my head and I suddenly scream at my boyfriend for no reason!

How can I get over this paranoia?

[effigyofsin]

it's a really hard feeling, i must say. i have lived most of my life around sydney and the outer western suburbs and even til now, i have not found anybody to help me. ive tried medication, therapy and other things, but it never really had much of a positive effect on me.
what your going through sounds similar to what i have experienced for most of my life, for me, the contributing factors have been my environment and my habbits (excessive caffeine intake, drinking, etc)
trying to cut down on these things has helped my anxiety a lot. ive tried well over 20 types of meds in the past from uncaring doctors, but they never seem to help me and in some cases only make things worse.

I hope that your boyfriend could be an understanding person and try to help you through this time. ive been very paranoid about relationships and always suspected past partners of cheating on me, because it had happened to me twice before. i'd often snap and break into accusations as well. it wasnt until i found someone who i could click with, that i felt comfortable and stopped worrying about what she was doing behind my back (we share the same computer and one way of showing our trust is to openly have our passwords saved on our computers so there was no secrecy between each other. even though i have never spied on her, i feel comfortable knowing that its there, at least)

when we cant find people out there to help us with our hardships, the best thing we can do is try to find ways to help ourselves and minimize the impact it has on our lives. i just try to look at what triggers my anxiety and i try to lessen that aspect happening in my life, to help me cope and not break down. it is still hard sometimes but thankfully i can function in more circumstances now than i used to be able to

[Christy]

Have you been seing a private psychiatrist or one who's been appointed through the Mental Health team? There's a few psychiatrists that travel down to where I live (4hrs south of Sydney) and one of them (according to my boyfriend) is really good.

I agree with effigyofsin. I was the same way with my ex-boyfriend, I was constantly paranoid. Turns out he was doing the wrong thing behind my back. But now I'm with somebody I click with, I never have those thoughts. We're open about everything and if theres ever an issue we talk it through. Not all men will flirt behind your back, trust me. Doe your boyfriend know about your parent's relationship? Maybe discussing this with him well help him to understand your insecurities.

[Glen]

I use the deep breathing method. Take a big deep breath hold it for 5 seconds and when your exhaling say i can do this. Keep repeating until you feel better. This helps me a lot when i am in situations like this.

[Timothy]

I use the deep breathing method. Take a big deep breath hold it for 5 seconds and when your exhaling say i can do this. Keep repeating until you feel better. This helps me a lot when i am in situations like this.

This is good advice
Another technique that works is closing your eyes and trying to listen for 10 individual sounds.
Christy is right, not all men flirt behind your back. I know i don't ever flirt with other girls or cheat on my girlfriend. When you start going out with a girl, they are meant to be the only girl you focus on, otherwise you shouldn't be going out with her.

I hope that you can begin to trust your boyfriend a bit more, but remember to not be too trustful because a lot of men are assholes.