How do u know if u are a SP or not?

[BrokenSmile]

How do u know if u are really an SP or just a shy person?
What makes the difference?
When and how did you find that you are suffering by social phobia?
How many people on this forum that argue that they have social phobia had take an medical examination? And if they did one this was coz they want to do it or coz theyr family want?
Sorry for my english if is bad... i know there is many questions but i really want to know the answer of them and i hope you will help me ...

 

[Chilling__Echo]

hey, and welcome - your english is fine!

most psychologists go by the degree that your problem impairs your life and the level of discomfort you're experiencing.

basically if it's gotten to the point where "shyness" is running your life, running everything you do, then you have SA/SP. a key component is also the vicious "cycle" of being afraid that you will humiliate yourself in public and therefor when you are in public, you're more likily to "mess up" or blush, sweat, stutter, and what have you. so going out gets harder and harder.

i had to see a psyciatrist to get prescribed medicine for it and she basically just asked me why i'd come to see her and describe the problem i had. i did it because it was really affecting my life, and controling everything i did.

 

[elparanoic]

I think that the best is going to 2 or 3 psichologists;When I went to the first psichologist,he diagnostied SP but I wanted to have another opinions .The second psichologist diagnostied a schizoid personality.It's very important has a good diagnostic because the treatment is different;now I know that the best for me is living alone because when I am in a social event start all the problems and the ideal situacion for a schizoid is make solitarian activities.

 

[Quixote]

I don't have any apparent physical simptoms like blushing or trembling. In fact I can look at ease sometimes in a social situation. And I am not even that shy, I can manage a brief conversation with most people without trouble. Yet there must be something severely wrong with my way of dealing with social relations, since I always had so few friends, or maybe they were even just acquaitances. Plus I have a hard time maintaining those relations that I have, not to mention starting new ones.

So to answer your question, I would say in my case there is no clear dividing line between a trait of character, such as shyness, and a true phobia, and perhaps it is the same for you, in which case identifying your problems as SP rather than plain shyness may help understand the problem slightly better, but it will not make a difference in the ways you can try to solve it: I think all we can do is trying to overcome it through (painful) exposure and self correction.

 

[BrokenSmile]

I don't have any apparent physical simptoms like blushing or trembling. In fact I can look at ease sometimes in a social situation. And I am not even that shy, I can manage a brief conversation with most people without trouble. Yet there must be something severely wrong with my way of dealing with social relations, since I always had so few friends, or maybe they were even just acquaitances. Plus I have a hard time maintaining those relations that I have, not to mention starting new ones.

So to answer your question, I would say in my case there is no clear dividing line between a trait of character, such as shyness, and a true phobia, and perhaps it is the same for you, in which case identifying your problems as SP rather than plain shyness may help understand the problem slightly better, but it will not make a difference in the ways you can try to solve it: I think all we can do is trying to overcome it through (painful) exposure and self correction.

Hey guys thank you a lot for your replyes.
I've been watching this forum for a month and my conclusion is that i am just a little anxious in some situations. I can contol that without meds.

Quixote i think i am like you and you are right when you say that isn't a clear dividing line between shyness and a true phobia.

Chilling_echo i know is a little late for this... but, thank you for wishing me 'welcome'. I really enjoy this forum.

 

[shipost]

there should be a scared to be alone phobia, i hate being on my own. cant go out because it feels wrong to be out on my own... i think people are laughing at me for being on my own etc

 

[BrokenSmile]

When i was little my shyness was worst then now. Untill 10 years old i wass affraid to go out alone excepting school who was near. I was really affraid to go out and play with my neighbours kids because of a boy who live near to me and who really scared me at that time. I am so sure that that stupid evil boy contribute a lot to my shyness and my personality evolution. :x I hate him so much. And i hate me even more for wassing to stupid and week and let him bullying me. Even now when i see him and remember how his f*** attitude ruined my childhood make me angry.
My parents gived me a little dog on my 13 birthday and i started to go out with my dog and even spend long time in the parks just me and my dog and kids start coming with me to see my little funny puppy and that way i've get some kind of friends or something and i wasn't affraid anymore to play with other kids. My dog helped me a lot and i didn't feeld lonely anymore. Sure is easy to make some "friends" when you are a kid. I still heving a problem with making and keeping friendship relations.

Shipost mabey you should buy a dog. A cute one. You know girls adore pets. :wink: And when you wanna go out you can take your dog with you, that way you will never be alone and you cand find friends who has pets too and it will be easy to start a conversation about your little animals. This is just if you like pets ...

 

[renegade]

I guess I got the wrong pet. I need a dog, not a parrot