How can I overcome sevre social anxiety?

Question

Not being able to communicate with people in public has been the biggest handicap of my life. I'm a 22yr old male with a loving girlfriend and friends that accept me for who I am, yet, in school I can't join in conversations, even though I relate to everyone (it's a game development school). I have done research and discovered I'm not just 'shy', rather, I have social anxiety. How can I overcome this? I have such low self esteem and little confidence in myself. I wish I could *poof* be 'normal', but can't. Does anyone have any tips for me? Maybe some medication reccomendations lol? Thank you for your time!

Answer 1

Socail anxiety is actaully very treatable. Anti-anxiety drugs can help in the short term. I would recommend Lexapro.
There are also behavioural therapies that can help remove the anxieties by re-programming you (with positive reinforcement) to become more social.
Go see your doctor and let him know that you want help. He will probably prescribe a short course of anti-anxiety meds. Then see if your insurance will cover a dozen sessions with a behaviourist.
Good luck.

Answer 2

Social anxiety can cause these feelings, which can also lead to severe depression,
http://www.socialanxietyinstitute.org/ds...

if not you could be suffering from Generalized Anxiety
Disorder..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/general_anx...

There is hope; I've been there, and still am there, it is a long, hard struggle. I recommend
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cognitive_b... worked best for me, with mild anti-anxiety meds. I suffered from social anxiety for over 15 years. I've tried individual therapy, and group therapy and studied psychology for 10 years, as a profession, but also with the hope to cure myself.

Depending on your comfort level, you could go to a psychologist that practices CBT and specializes in anxiety disorders, seek a group therapy, or create one. Usually those that do attend the group therapy are a bit more high functioning because as you know, it can be difficult to speak in a group.

Another idea is to see if there are any local research studies being conducted that you could participate in.

The program that finally worked the best for me is this one: http://www.socialanxiety.us/findinghelp.... and I was lucky enough to have a structured behavioral group to go along with it. Sometimes the people that actually attend this program come back home and form groups.

I recommend a mild anti-anxiety med in addition to CBT therapy.

Any questions, let me know ... I can't tell you how much this has improved my life!

Answer 3

Your best best is to see a phsychiatrist/psychologist. It's dangerous to take medications without a prescription, so you should be evaluated first. I suffer from anxiety as well, and there are plenty of meds on the market that can help you. Keep in mind, too, that it sometimes takes a while to get the right medication, it's basically trial and error. Just be patient and keep trying. You may also wish to consider therapy, as it can be of benefit when used with the medication. Having a good support system (sounds like you have) is also helpful. Good luck, and I hope you find the help you need to feel better!

Answer 4

Social Anxiety And Shyness Cure : http://tinyurl.com/yLoB3KdBLQ

Answer 5

there are professionals trained in helping people overcome these anxieties, and finding medications to help you and give you a better quality of life. i personally think that meds are overused, and someone to talk to is better than any superdrug. you sound like you function at a relatively normal level, you say you have friends and a girlfriend; i would find a good therapist to help you build your esteem and help you find ways to overcome and work through your anxeity. good luck

Answer 6

I hope the following would help:
http://www.public-speaking-solutions.com/fear-of-public-speaking.html
http://www.public-speaking-solutions.com/communication.html
http://www.public-speaking-solutions.com/build-confidence.html