Hi There ***Questions***

[jamez]

Hi,

I'm new here. I never knew there was so many of the people who have SA. I didn't really think much of it and thought it was more to do with just shyness and depression. But I had a look at some of the symptons on this site and there were a few I recognized.

So, is this something you need to be diagnozed with? I'm surprised there is so much mental disabilities and they have names for them all. But really how do you know the difference? Is it shyness or anxiety or depression or whatever. I could seriously have it all. I went to the doctor's last week about my somewhat depressive state and he ran a few tests, I'll be seeing him again this thursday. Anyhow this is all pretty confusing.

Thoughts are appreciated...

 

[Chilling__Echo]

hey there, this is my opinion.

social anxiety disorder is like it's name, an anxiety disorder in the same family as generalized and panic, etc. we just obsess over what people think of us and them noticing our discomfort and obsessing over the signs of anxiety like blushing, etc.

i do believe it's a mental illness and it is passed genetically however i do also think some people are predispositioned to it. but it's not just shyness, it's when it becomes a cycle that it's a disorder, the being afraid of social situations b/c you'll blush, etc and then blushing anyway b/c you're so nervous and so on.

being diagnosed just gives you access to drugs to treat it. but it is something that can be diagnosed.

anxiety can lead to depression, they deffinately go hand in hand but are not one in the same. avoiding social situations can lead to loneliness and then depression.

good luck, hope all goes well at the doc.

 

[jamez]

Thanks for the reply.

Like I said before, I certainly do have a few symptons of social anxiety and it's probably directly connected to other mental disabilities. I do agree that some people are just predispositioned to it, so maybe it's just bad luck that some people are born this way.

I'll be raising a few points with my doc in my next appointment, see what he has to say.

 

[GIOLANDA]

HELLO!

HELLO! WELCOME! THE SYMPTOMS OF SA MEAN MUCH MORE THAN A SIMPLE SHYNESS. THE ANXIETY YOU FEEL IN SA IS UNREASONABLY HIGH AND IT USUALLY AFFECTS MANY ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE. YOU FEEL ANXIOUS OF SOCIAL SITUATIONS,YOU AVOID THEM,YOU HAVE REGRETS OF THE WAY THAT YOU ACTED IN THE PAST OR YOU FIND YOURSELF WORRYING TOO MUCH ABOUT A SOCIAL SITUATION THAT IS COMING. IN DEPRESSION,YOU JUST LOOSE YOUR INTEREST IN MANY THINGS YOU DID BEFORE,OR LIVING DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE TO YOU AND IN A WORSE STATE YOU THINK ABOUT COMMITING SUICIDE. YOU ALSO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH EATING(ANOREXIA OR EATING TOO MUCH),YOU FEEL TIRED,BUT ESPECIALLY IN THE MORNING,NOT AT NIGHT. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR DOCTOR,I'M SURE THAT HE'LL HELP YOU VERY MUCH. GREETINGS!

 

[jamez]

Re: HELLO!

HELLO! WELCOME! THE SYMPTOMS OF SA MEAN MUCH MORE THAN A SIMPLE SHYNESS. THE ANXIETY YOU FEEL IN SA IS UNREASONABLY HIGH AND IT USUALLY AFFECTS MANY ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE. YOU FEEL ANXIOUS OF SOCIAL SITUATIONS,YOU AVOID THEM,YOU HAVE REGRETS OF THE WAY THAT YOU ACTED IN THE PAST OR YOU FIND YOURSELF WORRYING TOO MUCH ABOUT A SOCIAL SITUATION THAT IS COMING. IN DEPRESSION,YOU JUST LOOSE YOUR INTEREST IN MANY THINGS YOU DID BEFORE,OR LIVING DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE TO YOU AND IN A WORSE STATE YOU THINK ABOUT COMMITING ******. YOU ALSO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH EATING(ANOREXIA OR EATING TOO MUCH),YOU FEEL TIRED,BUT ESPECIALLY IN THE MORNING,NOT AT NIGHT. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR DOCTOR,I'M SURE THAT HE'LL HELP YOU VERY MUCH. GREETINGS!

Yes, I know what you mean. I have been guilty many times in the past of avoiding social situations and it does come back to haunt me sometimes.

In recent times I have sort of lost my way and have lost interest in most things. It seems depression and anxiety overlaps for me.

i dont think yu need a stranger to tell you if you have sp/sa. you kind of know..when you read the description. i first found this site when i googled social phobia..i thought i had invented the term to describe how i felt...then i discovered like 1 in ten people have it. lol.

This is similar to the way I found this site. I was coining terms to describe how I felt and came across here.

1 in 10 seems like a high proportion but it's also good to know that your not alone.

Thanks for the replies guys

 

[jamez]

Ok, I went to the doctor's today and he started me off on a low dosage of Zoloft.

Also, I had to take another blood test because he wanted to double check some things (iron count was high). Yay me :roll: