but in smaller doses they’re sometimes used to treat anxiety and agitation. Antipsychotics take a few days or weeks to act.

Make sure you keep this action plan somewhere safe – and somewhere you can easily find it in case you need it in the future.

No matter how hard we work at dealing with our suspicious thoughts, we can’t hope to get rid of them completely. At some point we’re bound to have those feelings again – and we might find it hard to cope. It’s usually easier to deal with problems if we’ve prepared a plan in advance, and that’s what we want you to write now. Have a think about what

He gives himself some words of encouragement and advice and then makes sure he focuses on something that really absorbs him

This time, though, I didn’t let it get to me. I just told myself that it’s what I always end up thinking on a Sunday afternoon, that it doesn’t matter, and that I can’t be bothered spending more energy on it. Said to myself a few times: ‘It’s just the usual nonsense. It’ll be gone in a minute or so.’

Concentrate instead on your ideal reaction.

And most people’s minds tend to wander back to their preoccupations

for many people they are more likely to occur when they don’t have anything else to hold their attention.

Don’t let your paranoid thoughts fool you into believing that they are the most important thing going on. Immerse yourself in what you’re doing, rather than what you’re thinking.