sometimes I'm not so sure about if I do have a sa for fact or not.. maybe i do but not severely, because I don't have any physical symptoms but I do seem to have somewhat of psychological symptoms.. I was feeling so fed up with it I actually sucked it up and got myself a job, but sometimes it makes me even more depressed. so how did you guys knew for a fact that you have an as?
are you sure??
- Thread starter hermitt
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Chilling__Echo
Well-known member
hi, for a while i debated this with myself. i don't feel mine is as serious as others but it's defined as a disorder when it interferes with your daily life. when you feel like you're missing out or you skip important things, then i think you could say you suffered from it however:
**disclaimer** i'm not a doctor, i highly highly HIGHLY recomend you see a doctor if you feel that anxiety is affecting your daily life to be diagnosed and treated for it.
i think phsyical symptoms vary with your body, many people don't blush while others don't sweat twitch, shake, faint, get dizzy, stutter, whatever.
i knew something was wrong in school when i felt like i was TOO nervous, or i dreaded presentations a bit too much. you kinda know when there's something off and that you're being irrational.
i suffer from SA but am able to work (though lately i've been a bit of a job hopper. i did have a decent job that i liked but b/c of some of the things socially that i had to do i quit. i have had a job for a year in the past though in retail that i felt comfortable with.
but like i say, see a doc, if you're having problems b/c of anxiety it's worth the trouble. good luck
**disclaimer** i'm not a doctor, i highly highly HIGHLY recomend you see a doctor if you feel that anxiety is affecting your daily life to be diagnosed and treated for it.
i think phsyical symptoms vary with your body, many people don't blush while others don't sweat twitch, shake, faint, get dizzy, stutter, whatever.
i knew something was wrong in school when i felt like i was TOO nervous, or i dreaded presentations a bit too much. you kinda know when there's something off and that you're being irrational.
i suffer from SA but am able to work (though lately i've been a bit of a job hopper. i did have a decent job that i liked but b/c of some of the things socially that i had to do i quit. i have had a job for a year in the past though in retail that i felt comfortable with.
but like i say, see a doc, if you're having problems b/c of anxiety it's worth the trouble. good luck
Nvenya
Member
**disclaimer** I also am not a doctor.
Of course I don't always agree with doctors a.k.a. - shrinks, especially since they can get trigger happy with diagnosing. I've been diagnosed with everything under the sun and having a bunch of letters after your name won't make you feel any better, unless they are Ph.D.
I was also diagnosed with clinical depression and dysthymia a while back and it can be really hard for them to determine all that you might be suffering from. Many disorders overlap and others can hide or mask another disorder that is lying underneath. Others can come about because of an originating disorder. Too confusing for me. Ex: Clinical depression caused by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder<---also have and a favorite that the docs like to diagnose people with.
Having said all that I suggest you do see a psychologist. If you don't like the first one then shop around til you find one you trust and mesh well with. Take it slow and be careful of being misdiagnosed. (My bf got diagnosed with MPD in two days of seeing a shrink, got some other opinions and found out that diagnosing MPD was the flavor of the month. He didn't have it.) Though that can be scary, it isn't good to self diagnose yourself. I think people have the ability to talk themselves into believing they have something when they don't.
Good luck with it.
Of course I don't always agree with doctors a.k.a. - shrinks, especially since they can get trigger happy with diagnosing. I've been diagnosed with everything under the sun and having a bunch of letters after your name won't make you feel any better, unless they are Ph.D.
I was also diagnosed with clinical depression and dysthymia a while back and it can be really hard for them to determine all that you might be suffering from. Many disorders overlap and others can hide or mask another disorder that is lying underneath. Others can come about because of an originating disorder. Too confusing for me. Ex: Clinical depression caused by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder<---also have and a favorite that the docs like to diagnose people with.
Having said all that I suggest you do see a psychologist. If you don't like the first one then shop around til you find one you trust and mesh well with. Take it slow and be careful of being misdiagnosed. (My bf got diagnosed with MPD in two days of seeing a shrink, got some other opinions and found out that diagnosing MPD was the flavor of the month. He didn't have it.) Though that can be scary, it isn't good to self diagnose yourself. I think people have the ability to talk themselves into believing they have something when they don't.
Good luck with it.
Nightshade
Well-known member
Hermitt, I've had problems with depression for years. Anxiety and depression are commonly linked in my experience. Since you seem reluctant to talk to a doctor, I would suggest reading about social anxiety, and more importantly, social anxiety treatment. This would give you a much clearer picture of whether your problems might be connected to social anxiety. The book I found most useful is "Overcoming social anxiety and shyness" by Gillian Butler.
One of the first things I read about social anxiety problems was incredibly useful to me.
It is common for people to experience some anxiety in social situations. Some experience more severely than others, and some in more situations than others. Mental health professionals have a line where if the impact of the anxiety is over that line, they call it a phobia and/or say that you have a disorder.
The thing I read that was useful was that anyone concerned about the anxiety they experience in social situations can use the techniques in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). You might not be over the line, but it can still be a problem for you and you can still do something about it.
I have not been officially told "you have social phobia/ social anxiety disorder". When I went to see my doctor to ask for help, she simply told me that she thought CBT might help and refered me to a psychologist. The psychologist explained to me the thoughts and behaviours that were reinforcing my problems, and how to try changing them.
The psychologist has talked to me about work she has done with people who have anxiety disorders, and one day she made a comment "these kinds of phobias often take years to get over", so I suppose that after hearing the details she has put me in the general area of social phobia But we haven't discussed the exact definition of the problem in much detail - I was paying her to help me cope better with people, not to stick labels on me.
The whole diagnosis and labelling issue is interesting and somewhat concerning. It is useful for mental helpth professionals to be able to group people with similar problems and if you have a label you can go looking for information and people with similar experiences.
On the other hand, labels can create self-fulfilling prophecies and people make generaliations and judgements based on the labels. I think this is even more of a concern with children and children are being labelled more and more these days.
What I always try to keep sight of it that every individual is unique and what counts is finding what is relevant and applicable to you.
One of the first things I read about social anxiety problems was incredibly useful to me.
It is common for people to experience some anxiety in social situations. Some experience more severely than others, and some in more situations than others. Mental health professionals have a line where if the impact of the anxiety is over that line, they call it a phobia and/or say that you have a disorder.
The thing I read that was useful was that anyone concerned about the anxiety they experience in social situations can use the techniques in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). You might not be over the line, but it can still be a problem for you and you can still do something about it.
I have not been officially told "you have social phobia/ social anxiety disorder". When I went to see my doctor to ask for help, she simply told me that she thought CBT might help and refered me to a psychologist. The psychologist explained to me the thoughts and behaviours that were reinforcing my problems, and how to try changing them.
The psychologist has talked to me about work she has done with people who have anxiety disorders, and one day she made a comment "these kinds of phobias often take years to get over", so I suppose that after hearing the details she has put me in the general area of social phobia But we haven't discussed the exact definition of the problem in much detail - I was paying her to help me cope better with people, not to stick labels on me.
The whole diagnosis and labelling issue is interesting and somewhat concerning. It is useful for mental helpth professionals to be able to group people with similar problems and if you have a label you can go looking for information and people with similar experiences.
On the other hand, labels can create self-fulfilling prophecies and people make generaliations and judgements based on the labels. I think this is even more of a concern with children and children are being labelled more and more these days.
What I always try to keep sight of it that every individual is unique and what counts is finding what is relevant and applicable to you.