Symptoms

Let's talk about symptoms.

Paranoia
My mother is constantly worried about anything and everything. "I'm so worried right now" she will often say.

She believes that "everyone gangs up on" her. She is not able to trust anyone, as she believes that everyone is out to get her. She says that she can only trust in God. This means that she in unable to form a close relationship with anyone. It caused an alienation of family members who do not want to be around her. She does not trust her own spouse and believes that he would cheat on her if given the opportunity. She often accuses him of this.

She believes that others want to hide things from her. She reads her husband's e-mails and still accuses him of deceit. ("You say 'I'm on the phone' but you don't say who you're calling.")

She often feels that she has been emotionally hurt by others. She initially likes new acquaintances, only to develop a sense of distrust over time. She will misinterpret their actions or statements. ("I could just tell by the way she looked at me" she'll say.)

She fears that there are "scopers" watching her house in order to break into it. This means that she is afraid of leaving the house alone because it could be broken into while she's gone. She never answers her phone, preferring to listen to answering machine messages, since she thinks that calls could actually be from the "scopers," wanting to find out when she is at home.

She is afraid of everything. Even a simple insect entering the house will send her into a panic. Daily life has to be hard when everything has become so troublesome.