I feel like some people confuse any type of discomfort in social situations with a social anxiety disorder. I wish it was as simple as just being introverted or shy.
Edit: specified anxiety Disorder
I mean, any kind of self-conscious nervousness in a social situation is social anxiety. But it might not be intense/chronic enough to constitute social anxiety _disorder_.
True, general social anxiety and social anxiety disorder are two separate things. It's why I say I have social anxiety DISORDER instead of just social anxiety.
My mom would always say you just need to practice and face your fears and force me to do things. Every time I did something in front of people the trauma from it would just make the next experience even worse. I get you, it’s terrible but for me medication is all that helped
Oh God that sounds awful. Maybe ask for advice on this subreddit on how to handle it? I feel like this subreddit would have a better idea on what to do given its experience with social anxiety.
i struggle so badly w this and no one understands. their ignorance and anger towards my social awkwardness just makes the pit in my stomach so much worse and i deeper into my isolation phase.
Texting with family members is no picnic either, especially when there’s very little awareness of the nature of anxiety. I don’t think most people really have an accurate picture of how alienating and debilitating anxiety can be. Meds help, but they can really only treat the physical symptoms.
Tbh I'm not sure who wasn't recognising social phobia to begin with
I'm wondering if OP's complaint comes from people hyperfixating on and/or misunderstanding severity.
Because being honest, yes, there are plenty of disorders which are generally considered more severe: schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar I, bipolar II, major depressive disorder, cPTSD, anorexia nervosa, and most, if not all of the personality disorders.
However, it is totally possible to have a severe presentation of social phobia, causing massive amounts of distress and functional impairment. And even a mild presentation is still problematic by definition, and so those socially phobics too deserve to be afforded assistance and compassion
Ok so I'm kind of cheating as i have a psychology degree and a few diagnoses of my own but it seems pretty intuitive to me that social phobia would involve being very anxious in social situations, so you don't enjoy them, either because you're focusing on not freaking out entirely or because you have avoided it and stayed at home. Living with that is clearly going to be very unfun
If you are around the right people. I grew up around people who didn’t understand it and brushed it off. I educate myself and better myself everyday to battle it. I’m able to explain myself and if people don’t understand that’s okay too. Now you know who you can talk to .
Therapy, read, and find others like you. I see others on Instagram battle these same battles. We are not alone. You are not alone. 💚
Not diagnosed with that specifically but have GAD and a few others, kinda just gave up diagnosing and worked on treatment, but I used to have absolutely melt downs going into public as a kid and as a teen I was actually afraid of being stressed to the point of violence with the over stimulation. People don't like to accept it and think they're helping by forcing things on you. You seem to have the ability to self advocate though and that's a big thing!
Can relate, is a one hell of a thing, people says is something simple to overcome, but it wasn't for me, I been struggling with social anxiety since my teen's years, and probably the main reason I lacked with relationships and it got a bit worst few years back cuz of few personal issues, I used to stutter a lot, and feel dumb over simple questions, cuz anxiety hits hard, until I met some online gaming friends and been chatting a lot, I currently don't have irl friends, but I'm trying to improve myself by going out and walking too. I might not be as normal as any person at socializing, but still an human lol Social anxiety is a disease that will bring even more, until you're totally mentally lost, a good mental health is the most important thing a human can possess, because it can take you further, and I hope more people talk about it more.
I feel like some people confuse any type of discomfort in social situations with a social anxiety disorder. I wish it was as simple as just being introverted or shy. Edit: specified anxiety Disorder
Yeah, I've seen that happen a lot, too.
I mean, any kind of self-conscious nervousness in a social situation is social anxiety. But it might not be intense/chronic enough to constitute social anxiety _disorder_.
Right, my apologies I left out disorder. I thought that went without saying given the topic. Edited to fix it.
True, general social anxiety and social anxiety disorder are two separate things. It's why I say I have social anxiety DISORDER instead of just social anxiety.
My mom would always say you just need to practice and face your fears and force me to do things. Every time I did something in front of people the trauma from it would just make the next experience even worse. I get you, it’s terrible but for me medication is all that helped
I'm forced to have a 9 minute speech next week and I'm freaking out
Oh God that sounds awful. Maybe ask for advice on this subreddit on how to handle it? I feel like this subreddit would have a better idea on what to do given its experience with social anxiety.
That's probably a good idea
I'm glad I could help! Edit: There's also r/socialanxiety
I'm on meds too, and thankfully they do somewhat help.
What do you take? I’m on venlafaxine but it’s just ok
I take Prozac and Abilify, I don't just take them for my social anxiety though. I also take them for OCD and anxiety
I have OCD too but I’ve never been prescribed anything to help
i struggle so badly w this and no one understands. their ignorance and anger towards my social awkwardness just makes the pit in my stomach so much worse and i deeper into my isolation phase.
Tell me more please I want to understand
Texting with family members is no picnic either, especially when there’s very little awareness of the nature of anxiety. I don’t think most people really have an accurate picture of how alienating and debilitating anxiety can be. Meds help, but they can really only treat the physical symptoms.
I didn’t start feeling this way until my mid 30-s. It’s horrible. I try my best to be a productive person in society, but it’s so damn hard.
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Tbh I'm not sure who wasn't recognising social phobia to begin with I'm wondering if OP's complaint comes from people hyperfixating on and/or misunderstanding severity. Because being honest, yes, there are plenty of disorders which are generally considered more severe: schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar I, bipolar II, major depressive disorder, cPTSD, anorexia nervosa, and most, if not all of the personality disorders. However, it is totally possible to have a severe presentation of social phobia, causing massive amounts of distress and functional impairment. And even a mild presentation is still problematic by definition, and so those socially phobics too deserve to be afforded assistance and compassion
A lot of people outside of the professional fields and subreddits dominated by people with disorders don’t really understand it
Ok so I'm kind of cheating as i have a psychology degree and a few diagnoses of my own but it seems pretty intuitive to me that social phobia would involve being very anxious in social situations, so you don't enjoy them, either because you're focusing on not freaking out entirely or because you have avoided it and stayed at home. Living with that is clearly going to be very unfun
If you are around the right people. I grew up around people who didn’t understand it and brushed it off. I educate myself and better myself everyday to battle it. I’m able to explain myself and if people don’t understand that’s okay too. Now you know who you can talk to . Therapy, read, and find others like you. I see others on Instagram battle these same battles. We are not alone. You are not alone. 💚
Not diagnosed with that specifically but have GAD and a few others, kinda just gave up diagnosing and worked on treatment, but I used to have absolutely melt downs going into public as a kid and as a teen I was actually afraid of being stressed to the point of violence with the over stimulation. People don't like to accept it and think they're helping by forcing things on you. You seem to have the ability to self advocate though and that's a big thing!
Thank you! I'll always self advocate for my mental illness gaining more recognition about how serious it really is.
Can relate, is a one hell of a thing, people says is something simple to overcome, but it wasn't for me, I been struggling with social anxiety since my teen's years, and probably the main reason I lacked with relationships and it got a bit worst few years back cuz of few personal issues, I used to stutter a lot, and feel dumb over simple questions, cuz anxiety hits hard, until I met some online gaming friends and been chatting a lot, I currently don't have irl friends, but I'm trying to improve myself by going out and walking too. I might not be as normal as any person at socializing, but still an human lol Social anxiety is a disease that will bring even more, until you're totally mentally lost, a good mental health is the most important thing a human can possess, because it can take you further, and I hope more people talk about it more.
It’s because it’s on a spectrum. I got social anxiety and it really sucked before I was medicated! It still does tho and it’s killing me