Difference Between Anxiety and Paranoia

So I finally got it out of my psychiatrist on what my diagnosis is regarding "my anxiety" and he says it's GAD. Now I'm wondering if it's just anxiety or something else that makes me worry so much about even my own family. I KNOW it's probably just irrational and stupid but I keep getting thoughts of worry in the form of "what if it's not irrational and stupid?" Just yesterday I had what I suppose is another trigger to make me worry, and that is because I refuse to go to some church dinner with my mom because I'm not religious and I don't want to be stuck with a group of elderly people who don't share my beliefs for 3 hours. Now, I keep letting my imagination go wild and thinking about my religious family orchestrating my death even though I know they love me. Is this just GAD or is it actually paranoia? I also forgot to mention, I also suffer from OCD, even though my psychiatrist first tells me that I am OCD and have anxiety but later says GAD is more accurate and it's not OCD. I say he's full of it because I've been right out of the OCD handbook for years now. Sorry for rambling on and sorry for my grammar but I don't know if people will recognize the way I type or not if that makes any sense.

I'm no doctor but I would say that anxiety is more the general fear about something, whereas paranoia is more about people out to get you. Paranoia is just another form of anxiety. I don't believe that they are separated in the DSM.

OCD is also an anxiety disorder. So if you have OCD the obsessive thoughts and fears you experience are just another form of anxiety. I think you're splitting hairs here. I wouldn't worry so much about the label as I would about the anxiety you're experiencing.

From my understanding, true paranoia is an irrational fear, that the person doesn't realize is irrational. I think what you are experiencing is, indeed, GAD or OCD. It can be really hard to distinguish between GAD and OCD, they are similar in many ways. So, I'd focus less on which one you are, and just try to get help for the anxiety.

I experienced true paranoia before, for almost a year. I believed this one guy was going to kill me. And it never even crossed my mind that it might be irrational or untrue. So, I think that is the difference..

Are you getting therapy for this, along with having your psychiatrist?

- EGD.

Cheze2 wrote:I think you're splitting hairs here. I wouldn't worry so much about the label as I would about the anxiety you're experiencing.

I guess I am one to obsess a teeny bit on details rather than to look at the bigger picture. :s

EarlGreyDregs wrote:Are you getting therapy for this, along with having your psychiatrist?

- EGD.

I have a social worker who has been helping me use techniques to calm myself down when I get really angry or depressed (which have been working) but she told me to tell my psychiatrist about the worry (I suppose as he's the one who diagnosed me with GAD) and he just keeps giving me pills and basically saying "let's see if this works".