Advice? Possible Diagnosis? Social Anxiety?

Question

Hi, as of lately I have been experiencing some serious emotional/mental health issues. Up until now I have been a stable, focused, person. I encountered some stressful changes in life, and put up with some rejection.
I have a high self-esteem, atleast consciously I think pretty well of myself. However, I have been feeling very socially insecure as of lately. have difficulties remembering what I was normally like. All that is ever on my mind is this social insecurity. I've certainly identified it as irrational thought patterns, emotions, and behaviour but even so, they exist. For the most part I can overide them, and carry on with my normal life. But always lingerin in my mind is this anxiety. I feel so self-conscious. I am socially anxious atound my loved ones, now even with my close close brother. My confidence fluctuates. Sometimes I become hypomanic-atleast i think. I I become extremely confident around random strangers...but yet i feel uncomfortable when talking to my loved one

I don't understand how I can be so sure fo myself at times then all of a sudden....i feel nervous when speaking to a person so close to me...one i have known all my life. This is scary......this is what keeps me up at night. I have spoken to a psychiatrist, but i just had one appointment,and my next one is in a month. This is so frustrating as it is a huge EGO CONFLICT. My realtionships with some of my friends are already suffering...I can sit with them explain this condition, comepletely rational for a few moments, then anxiety just kind of sweeps over me...and even during the waves I can openly explain exactly how I am feeling to them. At times I am so uncomfortable in social settings, yet at the same time I have a lust for successful social interaction. I don't know...this issue is so complex..Any ideas anyone??

Answer 1

Keep working with your doc - and give yourself a bit of a break, you may be feeding the thing with more anxiety than it deserves, you seem pretty sharp.

With caution I am pointing you to a website: http://www.mentalhealth.com/

I say "with caution" because you cannot really diagnose yourself, but there is some excellent information there that may help your understanding of some things. Note that many conditions come and go and do not amount to diagnosable conditions or syndromes unless they are profound and prolonged in duration. You mentioned some stress coming along in your life - that is a most probable factor and your problems may (probably will) ease over time as you deal with the underlying concerns driving them.

But again - the main thing is keep working with your doc - and if you are really uncomfortable before the next appointment don't hesitate to call him or her.

Try to give yourself a bit of a break if you can, you don't sound bad in your writing - maybe it's just not that bad but feels worse to you because you're just a bit off from distraction, etc.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Hi! I am so sorry that this is happening to you! Sweetie, I am not a doctor, but it sounds like you have the same exact symptoms my friend has. Some of the symptoms of social anxiety is feeling isolated from your family and feeling nervous when placed in social situations. The first thing that I suggest you do is to seek a psychiatrist and counselor immediately because they can help you conquer the social anxiety by giving you relaxation tips and configure a treatment plan so you can have a successful recovery in no time. Here are some websites on social anxiety if you want some resources to find out more information :

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/social-phobia/index.shtml

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/social-anxiety-disorder/DS00595

http://socialanxiety.factsforhealth.org/what/whatfeel.asp

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/social_anxiety_support_symptom_causes_treatment.htm

I hope everything works out! Just remember that many people care about you and maybe you can confide with your friends and family ! Also remember that there is always hope out there and that New Years is coming up to start a new chapter in your life! Good luck!

Answer 3

No one here can diagnose you.
However, I do know of a set of articles that deal with the problems associated with Social Anxiety:

Bringing Phobias Under Control
- Tormented by Phobias
- When All Eyes Seem to Be Upon You
- Controlling Social Phobia
- Watch Your Breathing!
- When Fear Leads to Panic http://watchtower.org/e/19980722/article_01.htm

Answer 4

You seem to be suffeiing from Social anxiety disorder also known as social phobia. Individuals with this disorder experience intense fear of being negatively evaluated by others or of being publicly embarrassed because of impulsive acts.
.
Such anxiety is primarily characterized by obsessions and/or compulsions. Obsessions are distressing, repetitive, intrusive thoughts or images that the individual often realizes are senseless.
From your account it appears that this anxiety has its beginning in the traumatic experience referred to by you since when this anxiety has started.Even though by itself the experience.may not have been a traumatic one likePost-traumatic stress can result from an extreme involvement in a serious accident.it must have been sensitive enough to afffect you deeply.
Could it have been related to separation from your near and dear ones?Such an event can cause a feeling of excessive and inappropriate levels of anxiety

While separation is a normal part of development in our lives when this feeling is excessive or inappropriate it can be lead to a disorder.


[ Treatment

The treatment includes cognitive behavioral therapy, lifestyle changes, and/or pharmaceutical therapy (medications). Mainstream treatment for anxiety consists of the prescription of anxiolytic agents and/or antidepressants and/or referral to a cognitive-behavioral therapist. Studies indicate that a combination of the medications and behavioral therapy can be more effective than either one alone.

The right treatment may depend very much on the individual's genetics and environmental factors. Therefore it is important to work closely with a psychiatrist, therapist or counselor who is familiar with anxiety disorders and current treatments.

A number of drugs can be prescribed to treat these disorders. These include benzodiazepines (such as Xanax), antidepressants of most of the main classes (SSRI, TCAs, MAOIs), and possibly Quetiapine.

Hope the above helps you to deal with your problem. From your report (sorry, if it is a factyak reoirt for it is quite frequently observed that an anxious person rather to convince him/herself than deceiing others tempers down the signs)it seems that you are endeavourig to get over it.That is a good sign.

Answer 5

Using herbal remedies along with making lifestyles changes, finding support, and practicing relaxation techniques can help make your anxiety more manageable. Learn here https://tr.im/hRbf0

Everyone experiences some form of mild anxiety in their everyday life. However, people with anxiety disorders frequently experience intense, excessive, and persistent fears and worries in regards to everyday situations. These feelings of anxiety, which can start early in life and can continue into adulthood, interfere with daily activities.

Answer 6

Hi... i'm not a doctor but an expert on anxiety because i've suffered with it all my life.

talking to a psychiatrist is great, but what about a therapist? therapist are there to help us learn to help ourselves, develop coping skills and strategies to move forward with life. sometimes, we can even get to the root of our anxiety issues, given effort and work... perhaps once a month isn't enough for you to speak with someone either -- considering you seem very concerned about your "condition".

if you feel uncomfortable talking to a loved one, it's probably not YOU, but them... somewhere along the line you must have received a signal that it wasn't "safe" to open up to them.... that is all i can think of. perhaps this might be food for thought? not sure.

being confident around strangers is normal for many people.

your doctor needs to diagnose you... people on Yahoo Answers probably can not.

i wish you all the best in your journey of self-discovery. take care.

Answer 7

some people are kind of just wired that way to an extent, i have a similar pattern in my relations where I am more social with people i have never met than with family even. I would try meditation or visualization grounding excercises...as a first step anyhow

Answer 8

well I have battled the same thing with u. I also am very comfortable with talking to strangers. but I too push the people I care about away. the reason why I do that is because I have been hurt in the past cause I let people in. that is why I push them away. I too have battled social anxiety.

Answer 9

See social anxiety, and rejection, in section 9, at *http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris Self confidence is addressed in section 38.STRESS: See stress treatments, at *ezy-build, below on page 42. Practise daily, one of the relaxation techniques on pages 2, 11, 2c, or 2i; whichever works best for you, but the mindfulness breathing for 15 - 20 mns is ideal, although the progressive muscle relaxation can be learned quickly, and takes only several minutes, if pressed for time. Employ the EFT version for use in public, for which you can reasonably claim that you have a headache, as you massage/tap your temples. Section 53*, and pages 2, 2.q and 2.o refer. "Even though I sometimes suffer from stress, I deeply and completely accept myself". You can also multitask, using the gazing technique, as you walk/jog or exercise, by focusing on a distant object, noting any thoughts which flash across your mind, without pursuing any particular train of thought, just gently redirect your focus to the gazing. Take 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily, replacing 2 of them with cod liver oil supplements, or a teaspoonful of the oil (I spread mine on toast, and mask its strong taste with fishpaste, and pepper), in the winter months only, and eat healthily, in accordance with your "nutritional type" as determined at http://www.mercola.com/ SEARCHBAR.

Answer 10

Cure Social Anxiety Shyness - http://SocialAnxiety.uzaev.com/?CsiW