Is this paranoia, hallucinations, or what?

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I keep having this fear that demons are hiding in the dark and they're going to go after me at any minute. It tends to happen at night when my parent(s) are sleeping. I know from a logical standpoint that this won't happen, but the fear is still there. Listening to music helps sometimes, but usually the scary music in my head overrides it.

Is this what it feels like to be paranoid, or is this more like a strange hallucination?

Also, I tend to see inanimate objects as living things that are constantly watching me. Is this even normal?

Infrasound!


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrasound

I was paranoid for most of my life and although it was about completely different things, it sounds to me like you're experiencing paranoia.
You could try looking up the symptoms of paranoia and reminding yourself of them everytime you're worried about demons.
I'm not sure about the music in your head, although I've experienced that too but it's never been scary music, or able to override actual music playing, so I don't think I can help ya there.

Are you a Christian or of some other faith that believes in demons?

If so, get up, turn on all the lights around you because they cannot abide light. Get out your Bible (or other religious text if you aren't Christian) and read it. They can't tolerate that either. Pray.

I doubt demons are actually there. It is probably a temptation to fear or something.

In addition to the above, if you are looking for more medical explanations, narcolepsy can make you wake up and hallucinate or have other odd bodily sensations. So can nocturnal seizures, IIRC.

Do you have a lot of anxiety and has that anxiety spiked lately? It could be that you are experiencing more anxiety or stress and as in OCD, your mind is latching onto this other fear that isn't logical or based in reality in order to avoid other stressors or to provide a reason for nameless, flowing anxiety.

Do you think you could be depressed? Severe depression can cause stuff like this as I am sure you know.

There are a lot of reasons this could happen. I had this sort of thing when I had severe, severe OCD/anxiety and depression in late middle school. I would get these terrible feelings of an evil presence in the room during the night. I also have a funky EEG and narcolepsy. At the time I didn't know about medical things, wasn't taught to believe mental illnesses were medical, didn't know I had narcolepsy, and so I interpreted these feelings as being supernatural or spiritual. I still believe there was an element of that but I also believe that mental illness also played a big role in it. I had nightmares of being thrown into hell as well that were so very real.

This sounds like a worry rather than paranoia. Have you ever actually seen anything while conscious?

Do you respond to these thoughts with any behaviours? Checking there's nothing under your bed? Getting reassurance from other people (other than this thread)?

I get irrational thoughts at times and if I'm tired or stressed they can be intense. If you are worrying about paranoia and hallucinations rather than experiencing them, then this might be OCD. Do you have a doctor or a psychiatrist you can talk to?

I find my OCD is worse when I'm trying to sleep or have just woken up. I get the intrusive thoughts at all times of the day but they're easier to deal with when I can distract myself.

There is a blurry line between 'delusion' and 'religious belief'. Personally, I believe spirits do exist (good and bad) - and that some people are able to sense them. My own solution to the demon problem is to appeal to my spiritual guardians for protection. That works for me, and they do an excellent job of it!

Then again, when I was suffering from PTSD I used to see my abuser everywhere I went, around every corner - appearing in a terrifying, corpse-like form. But in reality he was alive, and living thousands of miles away, so clearly that was just a hallucination, rather than an actual demon.

So I have a fun combination of imaginary demons, and real ones! However you explain it to yourself, I think it's important to get to a place of confidence, and either dismiss the visions as a symptom of your mental disorder, or trust in good spiritual entities to protect you from the bad ones.

I don't feel comfortable telling psychiatrists about this either, because it's not a huge problem for me, and I don't want to be needlessly medicated. But if it gets to the point where it's causing you severe distress, and interfering with your ability to function, then it's time to seek psychiatric help.

Hi! I am exactly the same, I talked to my counsellor about it and at first she thought it may be psychosis but then it turns out its just really really bad anxiety try talking to a GP, they can help you!

A couple of observations:

Because people with AS have such vivid "inner lives", it is not unusual for us to start thinking that something we imagine is real. Even though rationally we know better, it can be hard to get this notion out of our heads. I also think that sometimes we will fantasize about something that might have happened in childhood, then later on we think it really did happen.

Some people mentioned religion. If you are a Christian, then the idea of demons, although not officially part of Christian doctrine, is not entirely alien. In fact, I think you can find some Catholic writings that take this seriously. So it's possible you subconsciously do believe in demons even if you would not admit to it in front of another person.

So if you are anxious or depressed, then "bad" or unhappy thoughts can take over your mind to a great extent. But unless you actually SEE the demons or hear their voices speaking to you, you probably aren't psychotic (although I am not qualified to say one way or the other).

I think you would find that if you took any medication for anxiety, that these thoughts would soon recede (again just a guess, I have no professional qualifications). It is amazing how profoundly brain chemistry affects our thoughts.

So the posters who have recommended seeing an MD are not wrong. On the other hand, if you prefer to not medicate or can't afford it, then there are other things you can try. I would consider some serious research into mindfulness. I don't have a good definition of mindfulness except that it sort of involves telling your brain to behave itself. You can probably find podcasts related to mindfulness that you could listen to after getting in bed. Also if there is any way you can get a pet, apparently some people on this forum have actually gotten pets (usually dogs) for this sort of reason. If a dog doesn't see or hear demons, then they are definitely not there and if they are the dog will protect you (seriously).

But at some point you may have to consider getting professional help; I hope it's available to you if it comes to that!

Do you actually see these demons or is it all in your mind? If you do see them, could it be that you're seeing "shadow people"?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_person

I used to see these things when I was a child. Shadows would take on demonic and scary forms and move around the room, haunting me at night. I don't buy the paranormal explanations though, it seems to be something on a perceptual level, a minor hallucination, possibly worsened in times of stress or when suffering from sleep deprivation.