Flax
Active member
I was wondering has anyone in here had fears of being viewed as a criminal? I have anxieties about being near women's purses because I'm afraid something may go missing and it could be blamed on me. I am not a thief and genuinely have zero desire to steal, but for some reason I'm afraid people will blame me for stealing that may occur but chances are never will. Same with other things. Sometimes I'll go shopping or to a video store by myself. Whenever I do this I have a fear of looking at kids or teenage girls because I'm afraid someone will think I'm a pedofile. This problem doesn't exist when I am with friends. I have no such thoughts because I'm with friends and being with friends doesn't look as creepy in my mind. Sometimes I want to go exercise at a local exercise trail. Any normal person would put on their running shoes and just do it. What do I do? I'm afraid someone might be killed nearby and me running in a trail by myself is suspicous (once again... IN MY MIND). Sometimes I just want to go for a walk or a drive with no real goal. This also causes me anxiety because I'm afraid something bad will happen and I may become a suspect. And if I'm a suspect for a crime I'm afraid they'll ask what I did around the time. Telling them I was "just driving" or "just walking" would be suspicious... in my mind. Often when I'm in a parking lot and a woman is walking near me I'll walk as far away as possible so she doesn't think I'm going to snatch her purse or do something else.
I'm wondering what has caused this. When I was younger I was bombarded with tv programming where I heard all kinds of bad stories about people in society. I watched unsolved mysteries, Rescue 911, and a lot of local news and primetime news specials about killers, rapists, and all kinds of stuff. I was totally frightened by the stuff I saw on these programs. Now that I'm in my twenties I'm not afraid of them happening to me. But for some reason I'm preoccupied with being viewed as one of these bad people. Does anyone else have these nonsensical thoughts? Is there a specific phobia for this?
I'm wondering what has caused this. When I was younger I was bombarded with tv programming where I heard all kinds of bad stories about people in society. I watched unsolved mysteries, Rescue 911, and a lot of local news and primetime news specials about killers, rapists, and all kinds of stuff. I was totally frightened by the stuff I saw on these programs. Now that I'm in my twenties I'm not afraid of them happening to me. But for some reason I'm preoccupied with being viewed as one of these bad people. Does anyone else have these nonsensical thoughts? Is there a specific phobia for this?