Is putting a label on yourself a good idea

[hidwell]

Social Phobia, Social Anxiety, Avoidant Personality Disorder are these just labels we use to describe our own short comings ?. We are all unique, every one of is different in some small way. Sure we have a lot of similarities in personality, I just think as human beings we have more to offer than this self imposed tag! ::

 

[sullyS25]

I agree completely.... it is just another way our minds use to keep us living a life of limitation. It is so easy for people to let it define who they are and hide behind it.....that was the case for me at least. I try not to do that today.

 

[twiggle]

Labels are pointless in general.
I'm not sure there's any need to title ourselves with a particular trait, to do so what be a bit 'black or white' in my mind...but these words can be used as adjectives... just not labels as such.
We are who we are. One day we might feel one way, the next day we might feel another.
I just don't like labels

 

[razzle dazzle rose]

Those are not just labels...those are actual mental disorders. The severity of these are not the same for us here, but many of us do suffer from these illnesses. It is a serious. I see these mental illnesses of mine (OCD, anxiety, depression) as things I am struggling with, and while they affect me every day, I don't see them as being a part of my personality. These are things that I can work through and overcome. They are not who I am. The labels help me in that I can research and learn a lot about these disorders, so I can better overcome them. I can be quiet and introverted; there is nothing wrong with that. But when I am so anxious I can't get out of the house, well, that stops being a quirk and it is an actual problem.

 

[OceanMist]

It all depends on if these labels effect your actions in a positive or negative way.

I think it could go either way. I think for some people, if they recognize they have SA, then they also recognize their anxiety they feel is not all their fault, and that it's okay to fail and be awkward, hence, they put themselves out there with their problems that they know aren't all their fault.

For a long time I thought I was just weaker than everyone else for no reason, I just thought it was all me. I thought I was just a loser thinker. It wasn't until I recognized it wasn't all my fault that I was able to be more comfortable around people and not worry about messing up so much.

The trick is to not use anxiety disorders as an excuse to avoid living your life.

 

[MaliceInWickedland]

I was just talking about this on another thread yesterday.

I do think these are all just labels we've tattooed on our foreheads thinking that there's something wrong with us when really, there isn't. We've become so insecure with ourselves because people look at us a certain way and treat us a certain way because we're "different". The thing that people need to get through their thick heads is that everyone is different. There's no such thing as "normal" and the people out there that think it exists are the ones who have something wrong with them.

All a social phobic really wants from the world is acceptance but the thing is: if you can't accept yourself, who can? If people don't accept you for who you are then that's their problem. Don't rely on blind eyes to see you for who you are. There isn't any need to put such frivolous labels on yourself and feel ashamed of who you are just because people are total prigs and can't be satisfied with anything but themselves.

 

[razzle dazzle rose]

I do think these are all just labels we've tattooed on our foreheads thinking that there's something wrong with us when really, there isn't.

But what if there really is something wrong?

 

[MikeyC]

I think some tags are necessary for realising a problem, and then you can overcome it easier.

 

[razzle dazzle rose]

It all depends on if these labels effect your actions in a positive or negative way.

I think it could go either way. I think for some people, if they recognize they have SA, then they also recognize their anxiety they feel is not all their fault, and that it's okay to fail and be awkward, hence, they put themselves out there with their problems that they know aren't all their fault.

For a long time I thought I was just weaker than everyone else for no reason, I just thought it was all me. I thought I was just a loser thinker. It wasn't until I recognized it wasn't all my fault that I was able to be more comfortable around people and not worry about messing up so much.

The trick is to not use anxiety disorders as an excuse to avoid living your life.

I felt the same way as you did when I found out I had social anxiety. It made me feel better to know that it wasn't all in my head and I am not the only one who struggles with these things. I felt the same way when I found a name for my OCD 15 years ago. Your last point, about not using these disorders as an excuse is a good one. That can be a big problem. But being aware of these disorders is the first step towards overcoming them.

 

[chickenmaryjane]

Those are not just labels...those are actual mental disorders. The severity of these are not the same for us here, but many of us do suffer from these illnesses. It is a serious. I see these mental illnesses of mine (OCD, anxiety, depression) as things I am struggling with, and while they affect me every day, I don't see them as being a part of my personality. These are things that I can work through and overcome. They are not who I am. The labels help me in that I can research and learn a lot about these disorders, so I can better overcome them. I can be quiet and introverted; there is nothing wrong with that. But when I am so anxious I can't get out of the house, well, that stops being a quirk and it is an actual problem.

I agree, classification of these disorders makes them easier to understand, and also helps in finding the right treatment for each one. What works for sa don't necessarily work for OCD.

 

[Flowers-Of-Bloom]

It's simply a label that psychiatrists use to refer to a disorder (which is a common set of criteria/symptoms that people experience due to similar psychological issues). If diagnosed correctly then people can get the proper treatment and their situation can improve. So the labels are necessary for sufferers and psychologist/psychiatrists to understand and treat the disorder. Remember, a disorder is something that significantly affects your quality of life and is not just a personality trait like introversion or eccentricity.

My father told me that if I believe that I don't have a psychological disorder, then I would get better. But where's the logic in that? If I believe that there's nothing wrong with me, why should I try to change? I've had this problem long before I knew there was even a name for it and now that I know that there is a name for it (AvPD) and that there's treatment, I feel some relief.

I remember at one point I didn't want to admit that I had the disorder. I didn't want to label myself and I stopped seeing my psychologist because I know that modern psychology is still flawed. I tried to fix myself. I thought, given time, I could overcome my problems if I just pushed myself really hard. But I just kept getting worse. Even without the label I still had the same life controlling issues. Nothing had changed. If anything my condition had worsened.

It's kind of obvious but... with or without the name, we will still have the same problems.

 

[Rembrandt Broam]

Social Phobia, Social Anxiety, Avoidant Personality Disorder are these just labels we use to describe our own short comings ?. We are all unique, every one of is different in some small way. Sure we have a lot of similarities in personality, I just think as human beings we have more to offer than this self imposed tag! ::

I agree completely! I think these kind of labels can encourage a feeling that there are "normal" people, and there are these other people (us) who are not normal. But the fact is, there is no normal. Like you say, everyone is unique and everyone is different in their own way.

 

[aw1993]

I don't think its a good thing because it may restrict you from growing as a person and make you believe that you can't change even though you can.