Social Anxiety Sufferers Welcome!

[Lilac]

Two weeks on Zoloft and I still feel the same as always. My doc. said it takes 2 to 4 weeks to kick in. Anyone have any experience with it? What I'll start to feel and when?

[ozziemoe]

I am a 39 year old Canadian male, I went for years feeling depressed and anxious. I felt I was beyond help, that treatment would be useless. Two months ago, I gave in and finally decided to call my local Mental Health services after I was going through the lowest rut I have ever been in. I contacted Paul by email and he gave me the encouragement to finally get help. I met with my doctor and she diagnosed me with Social Anxiety Disorder, and prescribed me Zoloft. I can honestly say it was the best decision I have ever made, so far the medication worked great, I have not felt this good mentally in years, and the therapy has been a great help as well. In a few months I meet even join a support group. For the first time in years, I look to the future with hope instead of dread

[Lilac]

Bravo Ozziemoe!!!!

I'm right there with you. I am happy for you that things are going well. It gives me hope that the same ill happen for me. How have you found therapy so far? It is the thing I dread the most. My first appt. is on Friday and I am both anxious and hopeful.

[kikilala]

Two weeks on Zoloft and I still feel the same as always. My doc. said it takes 2 to 4 weeks to kick in. Anyone have any experience with it? What I'll start to feel and when?

First time I took Zoloft over ten years ago I didn't think it did anything, so hadn't taken it since. But recently started it again after trying nearly everything else out there and it was great. Was on Luvox before that, which worked for my OCD but not my social anxiety. Zoloft works quite well at dulling my social anxiety, or at least giving me room to step back from the cycle of negative thoughts and fears I have around what people think of me. Or what they will think of me when they find out how lame I am! it's also good for the OCD.

[Miscette]

A sufferer all of my life. I am not sure why my parents never sought therapy for me but I wish they did while I was younger. I was diagnosed with selective mutism when I was four years old but as I said I never received therapy.

My mutism changed to extreme social anxiety around the age of 10 after severe pressure to start talking in school. It was OK to be a kid and not talk but as you get older it gets more and more noticed and socially unacceptable.

Since I never saw anybody else act the way I ever acted growing up so I thought I was alone.

Finally I googled my symptoms when I was 17 and burst into tears when I found out that this is a real thing and that I am not alone.

I was not prepared mentally to seek therapy until I turned 21 years old. I broke down, inconsolable to my doctor because I have never in my life let go and truly discussed how bad my anxiety was. She was extremely supportive but strongly suggested and referred me to both a psychologist and psychiatrist.

I have been with both of these two psychs for two years now. I have been through nearly every SSRI in the market and none have ever worked for me. We tried Klonopin and helped mildly but was not effective enough for me. I am now on 4mg of Xanax per day and 250mg of Lamictal. The Xanax finally helps so much with my physical symptoms but I feel I waited too long to seek therapy and expect permanent socialization damage since it has manifested into my natural personality. My doctors from time to time inform me I am one of their worst anxiety-riddenpatients in their care and it makes my heart drop.

In the last year I started rapidly developing general anxiety disorder and panic disorder. I am resistant to psychological treatment (my doctor is great, this is my mind's doing). I am terrified and certain my issues will only continue to get worse as I age and am lacking hope for my future. I was quickly approved for social security disability and hate it when people as where I work or go to school. I never know what to say to them.

[Jose]

Today I heard a knock at the door and when I went to answer it I saw that it was the parents of an old friend who I haven't seen in a decade. Noticing it was them, these people I grew up around and have such fond memories of, I froze. I didn't know how to answer the door, how do I express my excitement to see them? Do I great them with big hugs and smiles? Of course I should, but it being so early, still in my pajamas, unshaved, unwashed, I knew I wasn't in the frame of mind to say hello to them. I would've felt pathetic standing there. Then of course a conversation starts in my doorway about what I've been doing all this time, I'd tell them about the job I work off and on, but that's pretty much all I got going for me. I couldn't face them, so I hid. That's right, at 24 years old, a full grown adult, I hid from these people so dear to me and waited until they left. Fortunately, they saw my Dad shortly after and hung out with him, but I can't shake how rude it was for me to do that. What if they saw me hiding? This isn't the first time I've pulled this on them, BTW. About 5 years ago they came by and I did the exact same thing. I can't help but think they'd disapprove of me in some way, thinking "oh, I had such great hopes for you as a child. This is what you're doing? Our kids are doing this and this and THIS!" It was too early in the day for that kind of reality check. In fact, I'd be uncomfortable talking to them in practically any situation. I just can't do the 'catching up' thing very well, even if I see old friends from school at the mall or something, I hope they don't recognize me and turn away. Unless I really like them, then of course I have to say Hi, but this is very rare. I think I'm just ashamed that nothing has been happening in my life to be proud of. Some kids just skate right through school and into adulthood, not me. I'm happy about where I'm at in life right now, but from the outside looking in, I get the perception that other people wouldn't be happy with me. I'm only responsible for my own wellbeing in the end, though. I'm not here to "impress" anybody, and if certain situations feel like walking on nails to me, it's in my best interest to avoid them, right guys?

[mouse]

Hi, all.

I discovered my social anxiety when I was a teenager. At 16, I was so nervous about saying the wrong thing that I basically became a mute. It was absolutely incapacitating. I didn't know there was a specific diagnosis for it until I finally sought out therapy for my depression and generalized anxiety. It was nice to know that others suffered from the same feelings.

Since I got onto medication (Paxil CR) and began working on my self-esteem issues, things have gotten a lot better. I'm still shy, but I'm comfortable enough with myself to hold a decent conversation. I run into problems mostly when I'm around strangers--especially those who I perceive to be cooler, smarter, or hotter than me--and when I haven't had enough alone time. I've found that I need a lot of time to myself to recharge. This was recently an issue when I went on vacation with my friend and a couple of his friends. By the end of it, I felt ready to burst out of my skin. I love my friend, but even his constant presence had me wanting to rip my eyeballs out. Too graphic?

Glad to see this as a new thread. Keep it coming!