Ok, so I have social anxiety and it's been bothering me in the last couple years to the point where I have been suicidal. From doing some research, I found that I can either take prescription drugs or go for cognitive therapy. Seeing as my parents' medical insurance is terrible, cognitive therapy might not be an option since they don't have the money (and won't let me spend my own). They are really against drugs too. I researched Paxil (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paroxetine) and found it along with other drugs to have some nasty side effects. I doubt I can convince my parents to let me see a psychologist, so I really don't know how to take care of the situation. So what should I do about this? I just want to be normal and not afraid to go out in public on my own for once. Thanks in advance for responses.
2007-12-13 06:39:55 · 4 answers · asked by surftaco600 1 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
Your Best Days Are Just Ahead!
check out
http://www.thinkrightnow.com/audios/social-anxiety.asp
2007-12-13 06:47:57 · answer #1 · answered by tiff 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cognitive behavioral therapy is something you can do on your own. It means fake it till you make it. It means behave as IF all were well. It means if you ACT like things are ok when you are in public, soon they will be. It means take baby steps to be with people. Dont stress yourself about it as some of the worlds most famous genius's were that way. Just simply TRY . If you are in school it is easy to be with people since it is mandatory. Do you go to school? Do you have a job? These venues make it necessary to be with people. Just ask some questions once in a while. We are all afraid to go into a large public group or speak. Keep busy . You are smart to not take drugs.
2007-12-13 06:47:18 · answer #2 · answered by barthebear 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you in school right now? I think the best thing to do is take little steps, like going to see your school councellor first. They can probably guide you better through your options than any self-research could, seeing how this is their line of work and probably have dealt with these circumstances before. They might not be able to help you directly, so don't expect that, but they'll have access to lots of resources that you're looking for. And then you can decide from there. Since your parents seem to know about your situation, I hope they're supporting you through this. Good luck.
2007-12-13 06:50:06 · answer #3 · answered by ? 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do your parents KNOW you are feeling suicidal? Do they KNOW how much pain you are in? If they don't know, you need to find a way to get through to them. If they do know and still won't let you get help, you'll have to find another way. Talk to someone at school -- a counselor or teacher. Or talk to a clergy person. If you don't go to any church, you can still try talking to a member of the clergy -- they will try to help.
Of course, this is assuming you GO to school. Do you just stay home? If you can't get out, try calling a suicide hotline -- they might know of a way to help. Or talk to your doctor.
The thing is -- you MUST get help and if your parents won't help you, you must find another way.
Social anxiety CAN be cured, you CAN go on to lead a normal, healthy life -- but you must fight for it. Good luck!
2007-12-13 06:49:22 · answer #4 · answered by luvrats 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋