Hey Jeff,
I know this must be so difficult for you right now and I will say something that is hard to hear but is also crucial for your recovery
You will never know whether this is hell or not. Yes, I could totally be a demon. You could just have DPDR. I won't try and convince you of anything because it won't help you, I promise.
I suffered with something similar to you, I had the worry that no-one around me is real and they are just empty hallucinations that I am having. (Solipsism) I spent about 6 months obsessing over it, constantly asking people if they are real, if they have thoughts in their head, crying and making myself completely miserable and bed bound as I couldn't prove that this life was real. It relates to what you are saying about trust - I couldn't believe that other people were telling me the truth, that they were real and that everything wasn't a lie.
The OBSESSION and constant seeking of validation is what drives this suffering. I believe that DPDR has strong links to OCD and I will post a helpful video about it below about this which made me feel a lot better when I was in a really dark place. Your anxiety is clutching onto things to obsess over and this idea that this is Hell is what you have latched onto. The burning anxiety is not Satan it is the OCD and obsessive adrenaline firing up and driving your fight or flight. Your anxious brain then uses this sensation to validate your feelings about Hell. These kind of things are GOLD for the obsessive brain and keeps the cycle turning as there is nothing to prove or disprove these thoughts and so your brain can run itself round in anxiety driven circles forever. The key to recovery from this is to just accept the fact that we will never truly know the nature of this reality. Break the vicious circle. Just because we don't know the nature of it doesn't mean we shouldn't at least try to experience it in the best way we can. If this is Hell, make it your bitch!
Seriously though, I know how hard it is to accept something like this. It is so so hard. That we will never actually know what is real. This time a year ago I was a shell of myself/I couldn't eat or sleep. I was constantly horrific thoughts and panic attacks and couldn't leave the house. Since then I have learned to accept that there are things we can never prove or disprove and thats okay. Eventually, you just start to feel that things are okay through your experiences. I have a conversation with my sister and I feel she is real. No amount of obsessive thinking can replace or tear down that feeling. When you are solely relying on your anxious mind to obsess about what is true or real your picture of reality will be skewed. But once you begin to calm the mind and experience things again, I promise you will feel differently and look back on how you are feeling now in disbelief.
The way I started to heal myself (and it was really really hard) was to try and carry on whilst accepting these thoughts. No-one is real. I accepted it. I talked to people anyway, I did things anyway, like I was in a game of Sims.
Accept that this might be Hell. That there is a demon writing this post to trick you. Listen to my advice anyway. Talk to the demons anyway, even though they might maniacally laugh behind your back and tell Satan what you've been up to. You need to get your mind back into a relaxed state and you can only do that by trying to live life again and proving to yourself that you don't have to know everything for sure and that things are okay.
I know that deep down you don't believe this is hell - or else you wouldn't seek validation. Validation is asking people to confirm what you already know.
You don't have to trust me with these words. You don't have to believe me. That's part of your recovery. But I believe that you are a strong person and that you will get better. Don't check and obsess on these forums too much as it fuels the obsessive mind. Try and accept, I know it seems impossible but it will get better with practice. I promise you will feel better and this won't last forever.
