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Social Phobia

Ok firstly I realise this will be a strange topic to those who are unfamiliar with it, but has anybody had any experience or known anyone with social phobia?

Ive suffered from it for years and it really gets in the way of my life. Ive started to see a therapist about it. Has anybody here suffered from it and successfully overcome it?

Reply 1

generalebriety

16

Wow... I googled it to see if you were making this up, because it sounds so fake, but no, it's real... but... um, no offence, but doesn't everyone get that if they're not used to social situations? Like shyness or reclusiveness? :confused:

I know I do. I have often refused to meet people, especially in groups, because I was worried. But then when I get used to the people and the place I'm fine.

Err, I have no advice to offer. What's your experience of it? I'd be interested to find out.

Reply 2

Anonymous #2

My mom has it, she is a massage therapist so she only really has to see one person at a time, but she still finds that very stressful and has to psych herself up. I think she gets paranoid that people don't like her or are saying nasty things about her behind her back. I think she is on medication for it and has seen a psychiatrist about it for a good few years, I'm not sure why she stopped going. (We aren't very close, hence all the 'I think's :p:

)

Reply 3

Anonymous #2

generalebriety

Wow... I googled it to see if you were making this up, because it sounds so fake, but no, it's real... but... um, no offence, but doesn't everyone get that if they're not used to social situations? Like shyness or reclusiveness? :confused:

I know I do. I have often refused to meet people, especially in groups, because I was worried. But then when I get used to the people and the place I'm fine.

Err, I have no advice to offer. What's your experience of it? I'd be interested to find out.

I think it is a little more severe than shyness :smile:

Think of other phobias which can cause you to become panicky and fearful, for example maybe a fear of the dark? I think people with social phobia must have to be quite brave because they have to repeatedly face their fear in order to get by and lead a relatively normal life.

Reply 4

Anonymous #3

Hi I've suffered and still suffer from it! I empathise as it is really awful. Sometimes it is really bad and when I'm forced into going out of my room, like to school etc, it sychs me into more panic and anxiety attacks too. :frown:

Reply 5

Audacious

4

I know a guy that has this. He was introduced to me by a friend. He dropped out of A levels the the year before i started 6th form so I didnt know him or of him at all till i met him. Now I know hes sees a shrink and dunno if he on medication but he joined a small AS philosphy class last year in which there were8-9 people including the teacher, which seemed to help.

Reply 6

lala_land

I think one of my relatives has it, he hardly speaks or anything, it's definatly looks way more severe from shyness, i wonder how people get this way though? Would there have to be something in the past that caused it? Like when i woke up and found a spider in my bed i couldn't look at them the same way again :rolleyes:

Reply 7

generalebriety

16

Anonymous

I think it is a little more severe than shyness :smile:

Think of other phobias which can cause you to become panicky and fearful, for example maybe a fear of the dark? I think people with social phobia must have to be quite brave because they have to repeatedly face their fear in order to get by and lead a relatively normal life.

I imagine so, but, as with most people who face their fears, that would surely lessen the blow considerably. Not that it's anything like shyness, of course, but it's comparable.

Reply 8

Anonymous #4

generalebriety

it's real... but... um, no offence, but doesn't everyone get that if they're not used to social situations? Like shyness or reclusiveness?

Everyone gets socially nervous to a degree yes, but when it severly interferes with your life it can be very limiting and needs professional medical help.

Here is a good definition:

Social phobia is a very exagerated shyness typified by persistent and strong feelings of anxiety and fear when facing certain social situations,interacting with others,or even when being observed,to such an extent that this feeling greatly interferes in the development of the normal life of those who suffer it.

People with social phobia are well aware of the irrationality of their feelings,but nevertheless feel great aprehension when facing the feared situation and therefore they will do anything to escape it,and will start avoiding all sorts of social situations,in this way inhibiting the person´s functional character.In these feared social situations the social phobic will be constantly worried that other people might think they are anxious,weak,silly or strange.

Sorry but I doubt you'll find much help on these forums, you'll get a lot of 'yeah, but so what, I get nervous too, just buck up and get on with it'

Try using the social phobia/social anxiety forums online for better advice.

Reply 9

Anonymous #4

lala_land

I think one of my relatives has it, he hardly speaks or anything, it's definatly looks way more severe from shyness, i wonder how people get this way though? Would there have to be something in the past that caused it? Like when i woke up and found a spider in my bed i couldn't look at them the same way again :rolleyes:

Its very debatable as to what causes it. For some it is childhood bullying, for others it could be genetic, for the rest is it a mixture of the two or sometimes, no discernable reason at all!

Reply 10

generalebriety

16

Anonymous

Everyone gets socially nervous to a degree yes, but when it severly interferes with your life it can be very limiting and needs professional medical help.

Here is a good definition:

Social phobia is a very exagerated shyness typified by persistent and strong feelings of anxiety and fear when facing certain social situations,interacting with others,or even when being observed,to such an extent that this feeling greatly interferes in the development of the normal life of those who suffer it.

People with social phobia are well aware of the irrationality of their feelings,but nevertheless feel great aprehension when facing the feared situation and therefore they will do anything to escape it,and will start avoiding all sorts of social situations,in this way inhibiting the person´s functional character.In these feared social situations the social phobic will be constantly worried that other people might think they are anxious,weak,silly or strange.

Sorry but I doubt you'll find much help on these forums, you'll get a lot of 'yeah, but so what, I get nervous too, just buck up and get on with it'

Try using the social phobia/social anxiety forums online for better advice.

I hate to make you sound anything like right here ( :p:

), but that definition sounds pretty close to me. Maybe I've just lived with it all my life and not known. Maybe I have it, maybe I don't.

I'll stop posting here now, I clearly have nothing useful to add. :smile:

Reply 11

Anonymous #1

OP

lala_land

I think one of my relatives has it, he hardly speaks or anything, it's definatly looks way more severe from shyness, i wonder how people get this way though? Would there have to be something in the past that caused it? Like when i woke up and found a spider in my bed i couldn't look at them the same way again :rolleyes:

Yea, thats exactly how I come across to people. very silent and awkward. im not shy, in that I truly dont care what other people think about me. but im a completely different person when Im drunk. im the life of the party. thats when I realised i needed to see a therapist about it.

thank you everybody for your replies. Im gonna stop posting because I dont feel as if there is anything else to add. I just needed some reassurance that what I experience is actually real. (as generalebriety pointed out, the whole thing sounds so surreal).

For all those who suffer from it her, I truly empathise with you, and strongly sugest seeing a specialist about if it is severe, becuase it is something that can be treated.

Reply 12

Anonymous #4

generalebriety

Maybe I've just lived with it all my life and not known. Maybe I have it, maybe I don't.

I respect that most people get nervous from time to time and learn to cope with it, eventually getting over it. But people with social phobia will read that definition I posted up and instantly understand - its a very debilitating problem. I've known folk with social phobia who would puke up before going to work every day because they were so terrified of social contact, or worse, never leaving the house for weeks on end. People who sweat, shake, or faint/panic attack because of anticipation of a social event etc etc. It's beyond shyness.

You sound like an average joe (no offence of course! :wink:

) who gets worried a little but can still lead a fairly normal healthy life.

Reply 13

theonehitwonder

2

Yeah mate, I suffer from many symptoms associated with social phobia. I can't even go shopping without going red or being embarassed. Also, many girls make me blush for no reason, I don't even fancy them but I still do. It's automatic. If you want to talk to someone, just PM me.

I'm still trying to overcome it, well at least limit how it affects my life.

Reply 14

Pseudomuse

1

i know i used to be afraid of crowds but i don't know if that's a social phobia

Reply 15

black_mamba

14

That's more akin to agoraphobia which is a fear of public spaces. A few peeps with social problems have agoraphobia too, they seem to be closely connected (no suprises!)

Asperger's?

Anonymous

Ok firstly I realise this will be a strange topic to those who are unfamiliar with it, but has anybody had any experience or known anyone with social phobia?

Ive suffered from it for years and it really gets in the way of my life. Ive started to see a therapist about it. Has anybody here suffered from it and successfully overcome it?

How are you with talking to just one person at a time?

Reply 18

theonehitwonder

2

Look, it's bloody difficult to describe what sufferers go through. Most of the time, they can appear to be 'normal' but inside is a very different story.

I got this way due to teasing in primary school, which made me very shy, then very socially awkward by the time high school came around. Never had any close relations, leading to very low self esteem. I was messed up for life. I don't share that thought anymore, I try to be proud of what I am, and what I have achieved. I'm a bit better now, but heck, I'd never wish it upon anyone. It's not as simple as saying that social phobia is 'extreme shyness', it's more than that.

Reply 19

Anonymous #6

I've suffered it milldly for a very long time, and around January it started to get very very bad, so bad i had to stay off school for a few months (it was Year 13 too =/). I've always been one of the types of people who didn't go out much, and i used to make up excuses why i wouldn't go out and people generally just stopped asking me.
I eventually got counselling as I had a few other problems too, and thankfully I was able to be very successful in my exams (AAB) so it hopefully is a testament to how well having someone to talk to works.

Hope this gives you some comfort, you are not alone!

Social Phobia

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