Is social anxiety a disability?

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nicole1

Well-known member
I have trouble in school and it's mostly due to my bouts of not wanting to leave the house and not wanting to be around people...

Our counseling services is in connection with a disability center on campus which helps by arranging accommodations for class related difficulties.

I wanted to know if I should check them out? I'm at a point that I just want help in any form and I just want to graduate. Every day is a struggle just trying to leave the house and be productive.
 
kihira

kihira

1
From wikipedia:

"A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.

Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations.

Thus disability is a complex phenomenon, reflecting an interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives.
—World Health Organization"

Anxiety in educational settings is very common, so there will most likely be some sort of support available :)
 
Thelema

Thelema

Well-known member
JP81 said:
Yep, I'd say go for it. But don't be disheartened if they don't provide the services you require.
Click to expand...

Yeah. The fact is that social anxiety is common enough that there's a good chance they've dealt with a person suffering from it before.

A LOT of places let you just take classes online, for anyone that prefers to.
 
forksandspoons

forksandspoons

Well-known member
I went through this at my university. Yes, they will help you. At first, I spoke with a counselor. She vaguely informed my professors of my condition and asked them to be flexible with me, which they were. I was also given a hire priority in scheduling classes.

Eventually, I couldn't handle it and was granted a medical withdraw.
 
Prestonator

Prestonator

Well-known member
No! That is as stupid as saying being a vegetarian is a disablity - and i know of people who have said that!
 
upndwn

upndwn

Well-known member
It most certainly is. I've been living on welfare for most of my adult life because of it. They did not offer any help when I went to school, but that was back in the 80's when everything that wasn't physical was just a learning disability and they placed you in a special class for well, "learning disabled students", except that I had no problem learning stuff, I just didn't function socially in class. Today's support is probably much better then it was back then. Schools and institutions have a much better understanding of social disabilities. I would have checked it out, seeking help is the first step for conquering your SA.
 
Mokkat

Mokkat

Well-known member
introversion and shyness are not disabilities, but personality traits with good and bad qualities.

Anxiety and personality disorders are
 
F

Feathers

Well-known member
People have different degrees of shyness, anxiety and other problems/characteristics...

If it's become a problem for you, by all means check out all venues where you could get help!!

They could maybe point you into another direction if they know of another counselling/support group or other opportunities, that might be better for you... (or more targeted)
 
WeirdyMcGee

WeirdyMcGee

Well-known member
Anything that gets in the way of living normally can be classed as a disability.

If you're looking for peer support, I'm sure you'll find it.
They usually have it for anyone who asks.
 
JamesSmith

JamesSmith

Well-known member
If you are confidently sure that shyness, anxiety, whatever you want to call it, has hurt your life on a big scale, then yes, it's a disability. In that case, it's disabled your ability to live a happy life.

I would define my disorder as Social Anxiety Disorder, and I am sure that I have bad anxiety and have been that way for a long time. I would consider myself disabled, because nobody who isn't disabled would choose to have no friends, never talk to women, and choose to be disconnected from the world. No healthy person would do that.
 
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