Other than schizophrenia what other conditions can make one have a fear of being attacked from behind?

Anxiety.

No, I’ve never had that feeling.

Yes, anxiety. I’ve lived with a lot of fear, but not specifically of being attacked from behind.

Being a descendant of Julius Caesar.

Anxiety or paranoia. You never know from which direction they will attack you with paranoia. They are tricky beasts.

As for have I ever had this feeling? No, not really. I have been in situations that put me on yellow or red alert, but not specifically like someone was going to attack from behind.

Being a woman.

Being found guilty and imprisoned for molesting children.

I would say it’s a well established behavioral pattern for certain types of people. Anytime I’m in a bar or restaurant, I always have my back to the wall and know my exits, etc… Survival instincts are stronger in some than others.

It’s not a ‘condition’, but walking outside at night alone, or even in the daytime if anxiety-prone.

Having a history of being attacked, from behind.
I don’t do people standing directly behind me.

You can be paranoid and not schizophrenic.

I think a degree of paranoia, is wise.
People are fucking snakes.

I think caution is good, and so is being aware of your surroundings. To me, paranoia is an extreme and I think by definition, it’s supposed to be inappropriate for the situation.

^I agree that paranoid thinking used to be extreme – crazy.
I do not believe that is the case, currently.
If you include your spam folder, there are literally dozens of people trying to do you harm every day.
Every call, text, or email, or letter, is being data mined.
Every website has it’s own risks.
The potential for being harmed physically, financially, or by reputation, is greater now than ever before in history.

I agree that it should, by definition, be inappropriate.
However, times change. I’m just evolving. Over 60% of my email/phone traffic, are all different types of scams or traps.

@MrGrimm888 Yes, I agree with that, but in my average walk about town or in a store, I don’t have a “fear” of being attacked from behind. Even in NYC, I don’t have a fear of being attacked from behind. I’m cautious and aware of my surroundings but not with an anxious fear. If I felt so fearful of a place, I probably wouldn’t go there.

^I understand.
The situational awareness, is key.
The situation is also different, at times.
When I used to bounce, people would occasionally try (occasionally succeed) to hit me in the back of my head with beer bottles.
I prefer a wall to one side of me.
Each to their own.
I wouldn’t describe paranoid people as fearful.
I have little fear of anything.
But I respect the fact that circumstances are often out of my control. In those moments, I am usually glad that I was being a bit more cautious than when at ease.
I was listening to two cops talking one day, about how many magazines one of the officers was carrying. He had the normalish 2 spares, but also had 5 attached to his body armor.
The one cop was giving the other guy a hard time, about why he thought he needed to burden himself with more clips.
His answer was “have you ever heard a story about when someone was in a gunfight, and they complained about having TOO much ammo?”

It’s a quirk, and it speads to all facets of my life.
Like I constantly reapply sunscreen.
I have “preper”-like behavior.
I just like to control as much about my surroundings as possible, if I’m not in a really comfy spot. And part of that, is eliminating the possibility of having to worry about attack from behind by not choosing to stand in places with someone right behind me.

It’s interesting that you mentioned NYC. The “word on the street,” is women are currently being attacked by strangers on a more frequent basis than normal there.
Women have posted often on social media, after being sucker punched in public.
In a perfect world, I would love to not have to appreciate the condition of my “society.”

If more people just didn’t put themselves in bad situations, that would be a MASSIVE improvement.
But. Is it not your paranoia, that motivates your actions of avoidance?

Why is normal, healthy wariness and wisdom being called paranoia? That certainly isn’t my definition. True paranoia is an actual mental illness.

Exactly, @smudges.