Article: Anxiety is not the same thing as paranoia, but these conditions have some similarities. People with anxiety are serious worriers. They might think "My parents will die in a car crash." People who are paranoid might think, "Someone will kill my parents to hurt me." If you think anxiety might be your issue, consider reading wikiHow's How to Deal With Anxiety article to start. There is also a difference between occasional anxiety about a specific event, such as stressing out over an exam, and persistent anxiety that follows you around. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders. If your anxiety seems generalized or "all the time" rather than located around a specific event or situation, you should see a mental health professional. You may have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is much more common than clinical paranoia. The average age of onset for anxiety disorders is 31, though it can occur at any age. The symptoms of anxiety, or GAD (generalized anxiety disorder), mainly involve the inability to relax, startling easily, and having difficulty concentrating, amongst a plethora of physical symptoms. The good news is that it's highly treatable. It may be hard to believe, but a certain level of paranoia is pretty common. All of us have insecurities and all of us know what embarrassment feels like. About a third of people have paranoid thoughts at some point. Before you jump to conclusions and assume you're paranoid, get 4 or 5 friends together and ask them if your thought processes are understandable or, well, delusional. It's a good way to determine if you are really paranoid or not. There are five levels to paranoia. Most of us have general feelings of vulnerability and suspicious thoughts ("I could get murdered down this dark alley!" or "They're talking about me behind my back, aren't they?"). But when you hit mild ("They're tapping their foot to annoy me"), moderate ("My phone calls are being tracked"), or severe ("The FBI is in my TV, watching me") personal threat, it's a sign you may be paranoid. Look at how your thoughts impact your life. You may have the occasional paranoid thought, but if your life is not significantly impacted by them, you are probably not clinically paranoid. Sometimes, your friends or loved ones may label thoughts as "paranoid" if you are suspicious of something, but suspicion is not always a bad trait. Sometimes, your life experiences may have taught you to view a certain way of behaving as suspicious. Being suspicious, for example that someone could hurt you, isn't necessarily paranoia. It could just be that you have difficulty trusting people. This is particularly common after you've experienced a trauma or a very negative experience. For example, you may be suspicious of a new romantic interest who seems "too good to be true." If you have a history of heartbreak in your relationships, you may well just be listening to your what your previous experiences have taught you. On the other hand, if you suspect your new romantic interest is a secret assassin who has been sent to kill you, this is probably paranoia talking. As another example, you may be picking up on something that doesn't seem "right" about a situation or person that causes suspicion. These reactions are not always paranoid. While you should examine your reactions, you don't have to immediately discredit them. Take time to evaluate your reactions and suspicions. You may react with immediate responses, such as fear or anxiety. Slow down and attempt to determine where these responses are coming from. Do you have a basis, such as a past experience, that would possibly provoke these reactions? Do a little fact-checking. No, this doesn't mean run a background check on your new boyfriend or girlfriend. Sit down with a piece of paper and write out what's going on. Say what the situation is, what you feel about it, how strong those feelings are, what you believe about the situation, whether those beliefs have any facts that support (or don't support) them, and whether you can change your beliefs based on those facts. Paranoia is a common side effect of substance abuse. Alcohol can cause hallucinations and paranoia in chronic heavy drinkers. Stimulants, including caffeine (yes, caffeine!), Adderall, or Ritalin, can cause paranoia and trouble sleeping. Combining stimulants with antidepressants or over-the-counter decongestant cold medicines can increase these side effects. Hallucinogens, such as LSD, PCP (angel dust), and other mind-altering drugs can cause hallucinations, aggression, and paranoia. Most other illegal drugs, including cocaine and meth, can also cause paranoia. Up to 84% of cocaine users have cocaine-induced paranoia. Even marijuana may induce paranoia in some users. Most prescription drugs will not cause paranoia if taken as prescribed. However, some prescriptions to treat Parkinson's disease by stimulating the production of dopamine may cause hallucinations and paranoia. If you're on prescription drugs and you think they might be causing your paranoia, talk to your doctor about possible alternatives. Do not stop taking your medications without talking to your doctor first. A recent traumatic event or loss can also cause some people to become paranoid. If you've lost someone recently or you're going through a particularly stressful situation, the paranoia could be your mind's way of coping. If your paranoia seems to stem from a fairly recent situation (at least within the past six months), it's probably not chronic. It still deserves your attention and you should still deal with it, but it may be easier to deal with if it is recent.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Distinguish between paranoia and anxiety. Get a jury. Decide whether you're actually paranoid or just listening to previous life experience. Consider your use of alcohol, drugs, and other substances. Think about your situation.

This is a good trick to perform in front of a crowd, since you'll need three volunteers to do it correctly. Be sure to get exactly three; the trick won't resonate as well with two, and it simply won't work with four. It's best to choose people you don't know well, so the audience won't think you planned the trick together before the show. This part of the trick is very important. Take a sheet of paper and tear it into thirds. Give the first third, which will have one straight side and one jagged side, to the first person. Give the second piece, which will have two jagged sides, to the second person. Give the third piece, which will also have one straight side and one jagged side, to the third person. This trick can't be conducted properly unless you rip one piece of paper into thirds, so make sure you prepare for it by having a large sheet of paper on hand. Pay attention to the person who has the piece that is ripped on both sides. This piece of paper is the key to the trick. The first person should write down the name of a person who is alive. The second person (with the double-ripped paper) should write down the name of a person who is dead. The third person should write down the name of a person who is alive. Make a show of leaving the room or turning your back while the volunteers write the names on their slips of paper. Without your touching them, the volunteers should place their slips of paper in a hat or box. Tell the volunteers to concentrate hard on the name they wrote down. Hold the hat or box above your head, or have someone else hold it, so it's clear that you can't see inside. Tell the audience that you already know what the name of the dead person is, and look knowingly at the volunteer who wrote it down, as though you're reading his or her mind. Finally, put your hand in the hat and feel around for the slip of paper that has two rough edges. Draw it out with a flourish and read the name to everyone's amazement.
++++++++++
One-sentence summary --
Ask for three volunteers. Give each volunteer a slip of paper. Tell each person to write down a name. Announce that you will draw the name of the dead person. Draw the name.