Social Anxiety Disorder- Opinions?

[ediesedgwick]

I was just wondering what peoples thoughts are on this?

What is considered to be normal behaviour, generally?

Social Anxiety is a taboo subject, either that or it is just pushed away because it's not normal...

When people go silent during conversation or stutter and go red, when they reitterate things they have already said, or even just worry about going out of the house.. is this something that affects you?

 

I have a lot of friends and a very active social life don't get me wrong, but I have suffered from this since I was about 13. I am now 21. It affects everything, my self image, getting on public transport, going out (pubs are a nightmare unless I'm off my head ha)..

 

Any views or your own personal stories would be much appreciated.

 

[BarryRiley]

I'm not sure it's a taboo subject, just something which is so general and vague that it's hard to pin down as a specific disorder. Some people are just shy. Does this mean they have 'social anxiety disorder'? It sounds like a disorder which has been created in the last decade or so like so many other 'disorders' to pigeon-hole people with a specific character trait.

 

Also, this should be in General Discussions

[stressconsul]

Social Anxiety Disorder is a well-documented condition and recognised illness. It is nothing to be ashamed of and help is available from your GP, who may prescribe CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and/or medication (Some SSRIs are very effective for this disorder but may have unwanted side-effects). Persevere to get treatment because help is available and you don't have to suffer in silence. Untreated social anxiety carries a risk of alcohol problems due to the efficacy of alcohol in self medicating. Shame about having social anxiety is, in fact, a part of the condition - don't be afraid to get help.

[GrayFace]

go here

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk

 

heres a large section about social anxiety and support from others and others who suffer from it you are not on your own, take care

GF XX

[ediesedgwick]

Social Anxiety Disorder is a well-documented condition and recognised illness. It is nothing to be ashamed of and help is available from your GP, who may prescribe CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and/or medication (Some SSRIs are very effective for this disorder but may have unwanted side-effects). Persevere to get treatment because help is available and you don't have to suffer in silence. Untreated social anxiety carries a risk of alcohol problems due to the efficacy of alcohol in self medicating. Shame about having social anxiety is, in fact, a part of the condition - don't be afraid to get help.

 

Yup, I know haha. Who else suffers from it?

Another thing is, drugs/ alcohol make things a lot worse, don't do it.. bad idea

[ediesedgwick]

Ta, Grey Face! good shizzle

[beefface]

I'm not sure it's a taboo subject, just something which is so general and vague that it's hard to pin down as a specific disorder. Some people are just shy. Does this mean they have 'social anxiety disorder'? It sounds like a disorder which has been created in the last decade or so like so many other 'disorders' to pigeon-hole people with a specific character trait.

 

Also, this should be in General Discussions

 

You may be correct re the 'labelling' of this condition but believe me this can be incredibly disabling for some people ( see original post ). Eventually a person can become crippled with anxiety when faced with the prospect of going amongst other people. This can then negatively affect their progression through life in terms of many things; career, social and civic activities, relationships etc, there is also the added problem of a person developing maladaptive, compensatory behaviours to cope with the anxiety i.e drinking too much alcohol, depending on drugs (prescribed and non-prescribed) etc. I have been helping people professionally for over 25 years to cope with this (and other) problem(s) and it is better to address it early before the symptoms have the potential to become chronic.

p.s I ain't touting for business, there are plenty of highly qualified, experienced people out there who I'm sure could offer good clinical advice/support.

[JC02]

I was just wondering what peoples thoughts are on this?

What is considered to be normal behaviour, generally?

Social Anxiety is a taboo subject, either that or it is just pushed away because it's not normal...

When people go silent during conversation or stutter and go red, when they reitterate things they have already said, or even just worry about going out of the house.. is this something that affects you?

 

I have a lot of friends and a very active social life don't get me wrong, but I have suffered from this since I was about 13. I am now 21. It affects everything, my self image, getting on public transport, going out (pubs are a nightmare unless I'm off my head ha)..

 

Any views or your own personal stories would be much appreciated.

 

 

I don't think it is a taboo subject, at the very least it's getting more understood. It's a little like depression, people are starting to talk about it now. The thing is with most psychological conditions, if people can't see it, they don't understand it. Some people usually are like that.

 

Also, what is normal? I don't think there's such thing as normal. If someone's having anxiety problems... it's normal to them. And also if someone's auditory hallucination. it's normal or real to them (not that I'm comparing you to someone whos like this, it's just an example) Theres always a root cause for conditions like the one you have, it's a learned behavior so the good news is that you can unlearn it. You have my every sympathy, but you can let go of this. I really wouldn't take it personal if people appear to push it away. Like I say some people have to have it themselves to understand it. It's a little like someone who's diabetic and going into a hypo in a cafe and the persons trying to get through to the front of the que to get some food quickly and people are just staring and muttering under their breaths... people don't think. I could go on about all the science behind it, but I guess what you really want is people to understand what you are going through. But remember you can and will get through this... good luck... not that you need it!

[Caitlin09]

I suffer from all the symptoms but all that my doctors say it is anxiety but I'm not happy with it just being called anxiety, theres got to be another name for how I am, anxiety is just a symptom. I take fluoxitine and they take the anxiety away but I still can't live like a normal person. Been like it since I was 15 an I'm now 30. I'm going to try to get in the doctors sometime this week an ask to see a specialist of some sort because I want a name to what is wrong with me an I need extra support to help me try to sort it out.

[JC02]

I suffer from all the symptoms but all that my doctors say it is anxiety but I'm not happy with it just being called anxiety, theres got to be another name for how I am, anxiety is just a symptom. I take fluoxitine and they take the anxiety away but I still can't live like a normal person. Been like it since I was 15 an I'm now 30. I'm going to try to get in the doctors sometime this week an ask to see a specialist of some sort because I want a name to what is wrong with me an I need extra support to help me try to sort it out.

 

You have my sypmathy. In my opinion some doctors are too quick to push the medication out. I think some doctors don't value linguistic therapy. I've had clients in the past who have had social anxieties and it's got to a point where they couldn't open their blinds. Now this person im so happy to say now goes out and is starting to build their lives. So you can do this!! best of luck