Your Lucky
Hey, look on the bright side all of you are lucky to have been diagnosed so early. I missed out on a good deal of my life because I went undiagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder, till about a week ago, I am 24 years old.
I was severely depressed, loosing hope for the future, thinking about suicide, and became an alcoholic.
Yet, before you judge me, realize this I managed to get into Medical School with SAD. Learning to relax and speak confidently with someone (members of the admissions board) whom my very fate and five years worth of college was very hard for me, but I practiced and succeeded, not w/o failure at one college though. I didn’t give up, just practiced harder. I also managed to become an Officer (leader of about 50 people) in the US Army. Getting in front of people to give orders and to speak was terrifying, having to report to my superior a (Colonel) would cause me to delay seeing him and worry about it for hours even though it was nothing bad. I completed college and graduated magna cum laude. Just because you have it doesn’t mean you cant be successful.
Again I have it quite severely. In H.S. I used to eat lunch in the library by myself because I just couldn’t fit in and couldn’t make friends. I was so extreme, that I have never had the thing I wanted most in life. Something that I prayed for everyday. The thing that most people take for granted ,love. I never had a girlfriend, not even in grade school, nor have I ever been kissed. I was so full of anxiety that if I somehow managed to talk to a girl, I would usually scare her away once we went out on a date because I couldn’t relax, I probably looked like I was waiting for a death sentence to be handed down. I have only been on 2 dates in my whole life. I didn’t know what was wrong with me, and I became obsessed with thought of living life alone, and was becoming more and more intent on suicide. On top of that, I am plagued with flashbacks that would take me back to very embarrassing moments in my life.
I just recently moved out of my parents house, who really supported me, and got me this far in life, to go to medical school. I was hoping my life, "shyness", and social self would improve. It didn’t it just got worse, and I was on the road to failing school b/c of my depression. If I failed out of medical school, in my eyes I had nothing, no career and no love; just pain, irretrievably lost time and wasted achievements. I saw no point in life if I could never have a companion in life . If I hadn’t tried to look up anti-depressants and then stumble upon the SPIN test, I would most likely be dead in about six months. But my life has changed, I realize I am not the only one, and that SAD is treatable. I immediately made an appointment with a psychologist, it was scary but I am so grateful I did. I am glad to have found out, even so late in life and that I am receiving treatment. Things are becoming better, I have actually started to talk to the thing that causes me the most anxiety, girls that I am interested in without sweating, blushing, stuttering, negative thoughts and just in general giving off negative vibes.
So cheer up, realize that you can have a great life, and be thankful you didn’t have to go through the feelings, and thoughts that you’re the only one, a genetic fluke, that is doomed to die for “survival of the fittest” sake.
Read all about it, educate yourself and pursue treatments. Get out and join groups like Toastmasters and Public Speaking classes. I did and got a lot better at handing groups, authority figures, and even talking on the phone all w/o diagnosis or treatment. I couldn’t however convince someone to fall in love with me, so I am taking medication for that and have noticed great results. Still haven’t been kissed, but I don’t imagine its too far away.