Does anyone suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder?

[Laura2005]

i was diagnosed with SA about a year ago, but i have had it a while, im doing my best now to overcome it, and have created a website dedicated to support people and help them overcome their anxieties. so if you think you may have anxiety regarding social situations i would like to invite you to my forum, and welcome you to a growing community.

I have posted NHS resources on there too, which you can have a look through and see if you can identify any symptoms.

 

i just want to make people aware that you are not alone with this, and lots more people suffer from SA than you would expect. so if you would like details of my forum then please pm me.

[LordChaverly]

i was diagnosed with SA about a year ago, but i have had it a while, im doing my best now to overcome it, and have created a website dedicated to support people and help them overcome their anxieties. so if you think you may have anxiety regarding social situations i would like to invite you to my forum, and welcome you to a growing community.

I have posted NHS resources on there too, which you can have a look through and see if you can identify any symptoms.

 

i just want to make people aware that you are not alone with this, and lots more people suffer from SA than you would expect. so if you would like details of my forum then please pm me.

 

I wish you well in your endeavours Laura.

 

One thing that intrigues me about this is how 'SA' differs from shyness. It seems to me that the term 'Social Anxiety Disorder' is another example of the medicalisation of certain personality traits or behaviour patterns (i.e. labelling these as though they were illnesses). I am not sure that categorising such traits as medical conditions (as the term S.A.D. seems to imply) is necessarily helpful. I would agee that in its extreme form, 'social anxiety' (or shyness) is debilitating and that people who experience it should, if they wish, seek help. But it is not a medical disorder.

 

This may seem like a terminological quibble on my part and perhaps it is. I just have a beef against the medicalisation of everything. I do wish your forum every success though.

[Guest]

SA is a psychiatric condition, characterised medically by dysregulation of certain neurotransmitters and treatable by medicaton and therapy as appropriate.

 

Incidentally, SAD is Seasonal Affective Disorder.

[LordChaverly]

SA is a psychiatric condition, characterised medically by dysregulation of certain neurotransmitters and treatable by medicaton and therapy as appropriate.

 

Incidentally, SAD is Seasonal Affective Disorder.

 

One feature of the medicalisation of everything is the profusion of acronyms (every disorder must have an acronym), so it is not surprising that two or more separate disorders may compete for the same acronym (although it appears that in this case Seasonal Affective Disorder got there first). As for 'SA' being a recognised 'psychiatric condition', well this doesn't surprise me, or that it is being treated by medication and therapy. But as I have a profound scepticism about the value of much psychiatric treatment, I am still not convinced that this is likely to do more good than harm.

[Guest]

I believe Social Anxiety has always been known as SA, and Seasonal Affective Disorder as SAD, without any competition for the SAD acronym.

 

SA is at the extreme end of the shyness spectrum. Both therapy and medication are effective in alleviating its symptoms (or whichever non-medical term you choose to describe how SA manifests). Whether it's defined as a medical, psychiatric or any other condition is, to some extent, a matter of personal preference.

[LordChaverly]

Perhaps our society is suffering from an acute case of 'Multiple Disorder Disorder (MDD), where every behaviour trait which deviates from the supposed norm is labelled as a 'disorder.' I think the following link, which discusses 'Intermittent Explosive Disorder' (i.e. a tendency to behave like a lunatic when behind the wheel) is rather amusing.

 

http://chuck.onefingertech.com/~proteinspill_com/?p=133

[nick2]

Perhaps our society is suffering from an acute case of 'Multiple Disorder Disorder (MDD), where every behaviour trait which deviates from the supposed norm is labelled as a 'disorder.'

 

being "eccentric" will be a dissorder before long.

[tom3t0]

I believe Social Anxiety has always been known as SA, and Seasonal Affective Disorder as SAD, without any competition for the SAD acronym.

 

SA is at the extreme end of the shyness spectrum. Both therapy and medication are effective in alleviating its symptoms (or whichever non-medical term you choose to describe how SA manifests). Whether it's defined as a medical, psychiatric or any other condition is, to some extent, a matter of personal preference.

i prescribe 2 pints of strong lager.

[spangler]

"'being eccentric' will be a disorder before long." - nick 2

 

It already is.

[Laura2005]

in america they class it as SAD, and so do some health authorities over here. i personally class it as SA.

 

but whatever it is - IT IS. and people are suffering with it, whatever causes it and for whatever reason they have it, and however it affects them - they still have it, so support is needed. and i would like to say please do not treat this disorder or illness, whatever you wish to call it in jest, as that is exactly the kind of behaviour that is likely to scare sufferers away and make them feel stupid. for everyone else - thanks for your kind words.