social anxiety anyone?

[chip n dale fans]

hi everyone,just wondering if anyone else has any experience of this disorder,be it first hand or not.
i have recently been diagnosed with social anxiety and i am interested in anyone elses experiences with it.

 

[fizz13]

Sorry to hear this I have never heard of this before. I have certainly suffered panic attacks about social situations before, to the point I can not go out the house at the thought of a gathering or party. Is this similar? Maybe you could tell us more about it.

 

[angelbaby29871]

hi. i suffer from a form of social anxiety. i find it very difficult to be in places with large groups of people. i suffer from panic attacks and vomiting from it. at one point it was at the stage i couldn't bear to leave the house at the thought of even people being out there. if you ever feel the need to speak to someone outside your family just to vent or just to talk please feel free to pm me. its good to talk to others outwith you family sometimes

 

[mandymouse]

Hi there

So sorry to hear that you are suffering with this. I haven't heard of it either, so I did a quick search and found this interesting website

http://www.social-anxiety.org.uk/frontpage.php

On the Dis, we have just started a new board called 'Coping and Compassion' which you can find here

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=149

Many of us may not be able to relate to the problems that you are facing, but one things for sure, we are good listeners, so if you feel the need to share a problem or worry, then you know where we are

Mandy

 

[chip n dale fans]

being around big groups and meeting new people is what affects me the most.having to go into these situations in the past made me feel very anxious and i have suffered from severe anxiety attacks which is similar to a panic attack, just at the thought of going.
recently in my life i have just been totally avoiding these situations but i am gradually trying to go out and overcome it at the moment.

 

[pokemon_master]

being around big groups and meeting new people is what affects me the most.

You'll always find friends here on the DIS.

I have heard of it but I don't have it. I think one of my friends my have it as he tends to avoid anything social or which could blow up in his face if he gets it wrong. He also gets very angry very easily which I am not sure if this is part of it or something else.

I do have (to which I am proud to say) Asperger Syndrome.

P.s.

 

[florida sun]

Loads of hugs to you This will come as a surprise to most people that know me on here, but I was diagonoised with this condition about 7 years ago after going through a very messy divorce. It knocked me for six as I had always until then been very very socialable, it had started with panic attacks and this made me very uncomfortable about being around not only large but small groups of people for fear of having a panic attack in front of them. It did effect my social life terribly at the time and all I wanted to do was stay in the saftey of my own home or work and not go out at all.

I had councilling to help me overcome my fears and slowly started to get better. Going to WDW on my own with my daughter 5 years ago was the turning point for me and as much as I was dreading it, I did force myself to face my fears and although I did suffer the odd set back on times over the following few years, I did regain my confidence and I can now say that I have'nt suffered a setback for over 3 years.

Of course everybody is different and what works for some people dont for others, but I had read a magazine article which advised to take Vitamin B complex and Magnesium herbal tablets on a daily basis which is what I started doing and I dont know if its all in the mind but it certainly helped me, along with the fact that I had come to terms with my marriage breaking up.

My very best wishes to you, you can and will get better with time and if you ever need to talk to somebody as others have said, please feel free to drop me a pm, I know how devastating this can be, but Ive come out the other end and Im sure you will too.

 

[Miss Mickey Mania]

My brother was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder at the age of 18. However, he also suffers from bouts of depression too. So we have lived with this for several years now. It's very hard for him but we're all pretty used to his limitations now. It became borderline agoraphobia eventually and that is very hard-going for the person affected and their family.

He still suffers from this, but is not on anti-depressants any more which is good. He went through group counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy but he didn't feel it helped him much. That's just his own experience though, for others it may be different. It's still an ongoing, very slow, 1 step forward 2 steps back process.

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. At the very least if you know what's wrong, you're on the road to beginning to deal/cope with it.

Louise

 

[Cyrano]

for you. Everyone here will be very supportive I'm sure as well as the new Coping and Compassion board

 

[wils]

Just wanted to send you a and also a to you others who have been affected by this

 

[Cyrano]

for you. Everyone here will be very supportive I'm sure, as well as the new Coping and Compassion board

 

[stemikger]

I know your pain. I have had this disorder since I could remember. In my case, it is especially hard because I'm a man and your not supposed to let this stuff get to you. However, this is a very real disorder that has hampered a large part of my life. Mine comes in waves and sometimes I can overcome it with motiviational thoughts other times I want to hide from the world.

In my case it dosen't have to be a large crowd it could even occur with people you know for a long time and even family members. Good luck and don't dispair, just keep on truckin and know that you are not alone. More people then you know have this or a form of this disorder. I do not take medication, but some people do very well on anxiety meds such as Zoloft, paxil or prozac to name a few. Also, exercise is said to help.

I find a good walk usually helps me a bit.

Good Luck again.

 

[Lizzybear]

You'll always find friends here on the DIS.

I have heard of it but I don't have it. I think one of my friends my have it as he tends to avoid anything social or which could blow up in his face if he gets it wrong. He also gets very angry very easily which I am not sure if this is part of it or something else.

I do have (to which I am proud to say) Asperger Syndrome.

P.s.

Just out of interest, have you diagnosed yourself or had it done by a doctor or someone similar? Not judging at all, just wondered

My sister has had a lot of problems with various things relating to new/social situations, confidence, depression and the like. I'm honestly not sure if she's been diagnosed with anything in particular but she's gotten a lot better recently. She actually ended up pretty much leaving school in year 11 and didn't finish her college course last year but she's really got back on track this year and i'm very proud of her for it and hope she continues this way
I'm quite a nervous person myself and can't always handle social situations very well but I push myself hard to face things I might not really want to because I have to. I think it's important to remember that these feelings are in our mind and we can overcome them if we try. True it is sometimes down to a chemical imbalance in the brain which can be helped with medication but people need to want to help themselves too and it can take a while to get to this stage.

 

[fizz13]

This really does sound like what I have dealt with off and on for 14 years, but never thought it was actually a condition. I have been on anti-depressents and sleeping tablets before, self-medicated with alcohol to get through situations I couldn't avoid like family parties, and cried in the supermarket at the thought that people are looking at me, thankyou so much for bringing this to light. You are very brave to talk about it, I know how disabling something like this can be to your life
These boards are a great place to make friends and chat in a safe place and sometimes I don't know how I'd get through without them, so feel free to share here if it helps, I always feel less alone when I am logged on here.
Good luck and let us know how you're getting on

 

[gilld]

My DD1 has severe Social Phobia and extreme anxiety, coupled with more serious mental health problems and also Type 1 Diabetes. Hers is very extreme and she is completely unable to face social situations at all, leaving her with virtually no life aside from 4 or 5 close friends.

I assume your Psychiatrist/Psychologist is going to give you CBT to try and help, and it can be very helpful indeed for some people. I do hope you are able to improve with therapy. Some of the newer anti-depressants are actually used for Social Phobia so if you're offered them, they are worth a try too.

Good luck.

 

[Queenie]

This sounds a lot like what I've suffered with since starting secondary school. I'm always really nervous around people and can get very panicky in supermarkets when there's lots of people around who keep walking into me or pushing me into shelves. I also try and avoid social situations, especially when I know I won't know many people there.

My worst problem seems to be seperation anxiety attached to my OH. We haven't spent a night apart since 2003 which can be a cause of real tension as both of us want to visit friends or family over night but I know from the past that I just freak out. Even spending a day apart can be very very difficult, I only just about cope with him going to work.

It's nice in a way to know I'm not the only one here suffering with these kinds of problems

 

[Headzila]

My DGF has seems to suffer from this as well. She's never been diagnosed, it's never been so bad that it's ruled her life, but I did a little research on my old friend the internet and all the symptoms fit.

Major league to you all

 

[Ware Bears]

Sending you

 

[Beth__WDW23/6/02]

Hiya

I am sending huge

I have never been told I suffer anything other than panic attacks.
I spent months in the house when pregnant as I got a fear of leaving the front door and believe me, it was a struggle, didnt do food shopping,didnt go out unless it was an antenatal and I took the whole family with me for support.
I get hot and clammy if Im queuing up for a while, I sometimes find it hard to stand and talk to new people, I just want to get out.

Sorry you feel like this, but if you havent seen your GP I recommend you do so...if they have diagnosed you with this,then they should be able to enlighten you as to how to help yourself, Im sure they have classes etc.

Good Luck

 

[chip n dale fans]

thanks everyone for your support
i have actually been diagnosed by a nurse who specialised in this.i received some CBT over about 2 months which i felt wasnt enough but the nurse, due to personal circumstances was leaving so my treatment ended.
i am also currently on medication for the social anxiety and depression.
i have made some small progress but progress is very slow for me