Have you been diagnosed with social anxiety or did youself diagnose yourself?

[fate12321]

How do you get diagnosed with social anxiety anyways? Well the obvious answer is going to the doctor, but how do approach the doctor and express yourself with out feeling judged? I have a hard time talking to people about this and talking to a doctor is the last thing I want to do.

By the way, if you were diagnosed by a doctor, how did you approach the doctor?


Thanks for the replies in advanced.

 

[nicole1]

I'm not even sure anymore. The first few doctors didn't diagnose me really. I thought they would some how "sense" it. Then I expressed my concern in college. Even still they don't listen nor do they understand it. I feel like I'm talking to a brick wall.

 

[Sacrament]

Social anxiety is such a common thing that it's not really hard to diagnose. If you feel anxiety in social situations, you have social anxiety.

 

[SoScared]

A CBT therapist told me I have General Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

 

[*amie*]

I've never been officially diagnosed with social anxiety, but based on how I feel and what I've researched, I'm pretty darn sure I have it. I've gotten self-help books, and read a lot of things online, and have a good idea of what I should do to help myself. But a lot of times I'm lacking the motivation to actually DO what I should. I may go to therapy at some point, because then I'd be held accountable to doing exercises and things to help myself.
"Dying of Embarrassment: Help for Social Anxiety & Phobia" is a good book with exercises and such. Oh, and succeedsocially.com is a great website with lots of helpful articles about how to be better at socializing. The guy that created the site once struggled greatly with socializing and a lot of the topics he brings up are things that I thought only I worried about/struggled with.

 

[slimjim119]

I didn't go through my doctor. I did my own research and went to see a psychologist. I already knew what is was. I didn't realize 7% of the population has some form of it. It made me feel better knowing other people out there have SA. I wasn't alone.

Some doctors will look at you like they don't know what you are talking about.

 

[MollyBeGood]

You could take an online quiz from a reputable mental health site, they usually have ways to print out your results. Then you could take the test results to your doctor, hand them to him/her and that could easily get the ball rolling with out you having to talk too much about it.

 

[SCP-087-1]

Yeah I have been diagnosed. I originally saw a GP about depression. They referred me to a psychiatrist or was it a psychologist? I forget which is which. And they diagnosed me as having some form of social phobia or something

I guess you could go to a GP and explain how you feel and how it interferes with your day to day life. Talk about the problems it causes for you and ask them to refer you to a special ist (I split the word up because the filter censors it for some reason). Then the spe******t will diagnose you and help you out

 

[Kiwong]

How to you get diagnosed? There is a test you take. I have done it three times now. The psychologists I've seen have given it to me prior to the first consultation.

I have been diagnosed twice, once with generalised anxiety, which didn't quite ring true. And once with severe anxiety and low depression.

I felt like quite a victory over my anxiety to only have low depression. I still see hope, so my anxiety hasn't defeated me. It would be so easy to give up, but I keep on fighting. I am proud of that.

 

[squidgee]

You can tell if you have social anxiety or not fairly easily. Even when you go see a doctor, it's you that has the final say on whether your symptoms match up with whatever checklist they want you to fill out. I did get officially diagnosed by a doctor though and didn't feel judged harshly at all though.

 

[PugofCrydee]

Yea I would take a few online tests first, just to see what results you get.
Then you can go to your doctor and say 'I think I have SA so I took some online tests. The results indicated I may have it. I'd like to talk about it'.

A couple of links.

https://socialanxietyinstitute.org/test-social-anxiety-disorder-find-out-if-you-suffer-social-phobia

Social Anxiety Test

 

[Kiwong]

https://www.depression-anxiety-stress-test.org/take-the-test.html

This was the one the psychologists had me do. There is also a scoring template.

 

[pacman490]

I diagnosed myself. My doctor put me on Lexapro for phone anxiety but it helped with socializing in general.

 

[Zooman]

I was diagnosed back when i was a kid. I've had it basically all my life.

 

[defiance]

I wasn't diagnosed but when you have it there is no mistaking it for anything else. When normal situations feel as if they are the most difficult thing in the world and you start to worry and panic about them. Or when you are around other people and feel heavily uneasy. That's all it took for me to realize i have it. Which sadly overtime started to fuel my depression as well since my anxiety has kept me from doing so much. It sucks..... it just really really sucks.

 

[dannyboy65]

I was diagnosed with autism so that sort of has SAD in it I feel a lot of symptoms of SAD so I don't know if I was diagnosed or not.

 

[zharl]

I was diagnosed with Social Anxiety and Depression. Prior to that, ADHD. :bigsmile:

 

[wallapingnk]

I totally diagnosed myself with the help from the Internets. The internet also told me i might have few other issue but id rather not look into to much detail. im still a little in denial about having SA even though it pretty obvious. Hate to ask for any help and just want to try and figure all this out on my own.