Walls and Ceilings - Painting over paneling

I have dark paneling in my kitchen. I'm afraid to pull it down and have some of the wall behind it come down too. I don't know what is underneath it and have to do this myself. Can I paint over the paneling?

Be adventurous take off a sheet (carefully- you may need to put it back) and check the condition of the wall. If it was glued you need to see how hard it is to remove the glue on the wall with a putty knife. A little effort- some acetone (to desolve the glue) and some spackle compound could be all that's required. If it's nailed it should come off easier but require a little more finishing to cover the nail holes.
The alternatives to removal is to make sure the panels are on real tight either seal the panels prior to paint with a item such as "Bin" (follow directions and vent the area) or if you're a gambler simply wash with Trisodium phosphate solution if you can find it or use the non-phosphate form (K-mart) and finish with a quality latex or apply a fabric (sold with wallpaper) specifically made for rough coverings which will bridge the grooves in the panels and then you may go over it with a wallpaper- it even works on cinderblock! Above all and before you do anything decide how long you plan to live there and is a temporary solution somthing that will outlast your stay or will you be back in to do it the way you want at a later date...try to do it only once in either case. Hope this helps.:)