Angela, Middlesbrough
I am suffering from depression; last month while out driving I felt I was being followed. The car in question was a taxi, so I drove slowly. My suspicion increased as he never overtook me and also his end destination was the same as mine, even though it was some 15 miles in total. I thought someone was checking to see if my driving was compromised due to my depression.
Jennifer, New Zealand
I am 38. I used to think my husbands family hated me so much that they would entrap me and beat me up or kill me for 'taking their son'. At the time it was a real fear and I had an escape plan or hiding place everywhere I went. I even had dad build a secret escape hatch in our backyard fence. 14 years later I realise this was all rather stupid.
Alex, Sussex
If I can't find something, I always used to immediately think one of my friends or house-mates has stolen it or broken it and hidden it to annoy me and mess me about. I don't trust anyone.
Kevin, Dublin
Often when I'm sitting at my desk in work I think I'm being watched from behind and it makes me very self-conscious. Sometimes I'm even afraid to swallow! Sometimes I think that people judge me to be different or a threat. Life is most often a battle against others rather than a loving and supportive experience.
Wendy, Sydney
At least once a day, I think that others may be following me and want to harm me. It usually happens when people stare at me or get physically too close to me. It can happen anywhere, whether I am walking or driving in my car. The thought pops automatically in my head. Because of this thought and believe I get scared walking alone at night and have felt afraid to stay at home on my own too. I also tend to get very irritable when drivers get to close to my car while I'm on the road, as I think they want to make me go faster and control me in that way. I've never really coped well with being told what to do. Perhaps that's my paranoid thought that makes me believe that others want to control me,this thought makes me get annoyed and really stressed about it. Used to have eerie feelings when going to the bathroom at night, felt as if there were ghosts or spirits that were around me, awful feeling. This has subsided. I also recall my dreams and when I am under stress, anxiety or worrying I get nightmares very often. I feel that my paranoid thoughts have created more stress and anxiety.