Paranoia

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I don't think I'm schizophrenic or delusional or anything major like that. However, I have been experiencing auditory and visual hallucinations (they usually only last a moment), and I'm constantly afraid of people (specifically serial killers) and supernatural creatures attacking me. It occurs mainly at night, but it's happened during the daytime too. The only time my fears are assuaged is when I am in the company of another person.

Does anyone have any advice, or maybe even just an explanation?

Go to a psychiatrist and talk to her/him about it.

It sounds like schizophrenia to me or just a temporary psychotic episode.
It could be also schizotypal personality disorder, but because of the hallucinations it sounds more like schizophrenia or a psychosis to me.

What kind of hallucinations, is it you seeing things wrong out of the corner of your eye or is it seeing something which isn't there in your clear vision?

How frequent are the hallucinations? Do you know they are hallucinations while you are having them or do you think they are real?

Last year I was getting brief hallucinations once a week on average over the course of a few months but when I mentioned it to my psychiatrist she wasn't concerned because I had insight and they were brief and infrequent.

The fear of other people and supernatural beings sounds more concerning to me. I'm no doctor but I'd be more concerned if I was experiencing that than I would if I was just having hallucinations on their own. I'd definitely talk to someone about it if I was experiencing that.

I've had brief episodes very occasionally. Oddly, living in an apartment building helps. I am alone pretty often, but if I can hear the general living noises around me (neighbors walking around upstairs, etc) I feel grounded again.

They're usually in the corner of my eye, but they're very, very vivid. Occasionally, my mind will also distort things I cannot see clearly. Another thing: sometimes I see shadows that shouldn't be there. I'll see them and there's nothing, well, causing them. That's the reason I doubt it's schizophrenia or anything like that. They'd be clearer if that was the case, no?


They happen almost every day.


Um... both?

I don't believe in any supernatural/paranormal phenomena, but it feels absolutely real. Every once in a while, I'll start to believe that something exists completely unprovoked. For instance, at this very moment, I'm deathly afraid of this deformed, hunched-over humanoid creature creeping up on me, so I'm constantly looking back behind me. As much as I want to convince myself it's not real, I just can't.

I think the most likely explanation for all of this is simply my overactive imagination. I'm a writer and an artist, so imagining things is part and parcel. Still, it is impeding my work and my sense of well-being, so I'd really like to fix it.

Your explanations sound like something I've experienced, and I think "no"...

Get thee to a mental health specialist.

Well I'm not sure what it is but as you said it's affecting your work and well being you should see mental health specialist.

Ah, okay, majority rules. I'll talk to my parents about setting something up for me. Thanks to all who responded.