Normal Life X Social Disorders

[pizzatarian]

I would like to know how many of you really have Social Phobia or Social Anxiety. Like how many really did look for an expert and was diagnosed as having one of these problems?
Because sometimes I think we get to caught up in our own net and exaggerat our problems. When I talk to my friends and other people I see that everyone has some kind of problem and things can never go perfectly the way you want, but isn't that just what life is?
Like... being able to overcome the fact that life isn't a fairy-tale and that things can't always go my way?
I mean ... how do you know the difference if you really have a problem, a phobia, and so should look for a serious treatment or if you are just one of the many unhappy, angry, anxious people that are in a constant pursuit of a unreal, masked idea of happiness that is sold by the media and the society.
I really don't know because the more I notice more I see that people are all just ****** up and frustrated, you know? It isn't just me or you, so where are the lines between what is normal and what is really a psychological disorder?
So, what do you think about that?

 

[coriander1992]

I think that you know you actually have social phobia when you are genuinely scared of facing the potential social situation, and you are so scared that you are willing to avoid the situation, most of the time, no matter what it is that you would be missing out on.

I often wondered to myself wether I am just over-exaggerating it, but I'm pretty sure i'm social phobic now.

When even the thought of a possible social encounter causes you to do sometimes stupid, crazy things in order to avoid it...then I think you have SA.

 

[recluse]

All i mentioned to my gp is that i suffer from anxiety and depression, i didn't mention social phobia so i am not formaly diagnosed as having it i just know i have it. For all my life i have always had problems fitting in and making friends, and at a young age people thought it was purely shyness and that u would grow out of it, but i came to realise that it was more than shyness. It was a year ago that i started to really realise that ''hey! There's something wrong with me'' so i did some research and the description of social phobia and avoidant personality disorder, which i read on wikpedia fits me; Everything i read i could relate to.