I suspect that (knowing how paranoid delusions work as I observe in my daughter - and also, how I process anxiety); that the anxiety is often triggered as a phy

I suspect that (knowing how paranoid delusions work as I observe in my daughter - and also, how I process anxiety); that the anxiety is often triggered as a physiological reaction, a hormonal signal that physically jacks up your heart-rate, and adrenaline. This sensation is often processed as fear. And our intellectual coping mechanism for fear, is to try to UNDERSTAND it, to figure out if there's any action that should be taken to prevent harm. And in the absence of any apparent rational explanation for the fear, the mind MANUFACTURES a rationalization. Sometimes it's a completely silly nonsense rationalization. But if it relieves the fear somewhat, (not the anxiety), it becomes an adequate coping mechanism. A healthier coping mechanism is when something triggers inside that helps you to realize that what's happening is a physiological reaction, and there's no actual real reason to be anxious. You can still come up with a silly rationalization, but you will realize that it's not real. I think that's the hairline that separates insanity from a person who's just having a hard time coping with an anxiety attack.