Social Phobia

[lightningandsnow]

I have GAD, (and a non-verbal learning disability, if that makes any difference), and now my doctor thinks I may have mild-moderate social phobia as well.

Is the treatment for this similar to GAD? Does anyone know anything?

[Tobin S.]

1. They treated my social anxiety with an anti-anxiety drug

Klonopin, I do believe. It's in the same class of drugs as Xanax. However, with talk therapy and a drug I was taking for a different problem, my social anxiety has almost disappeared. In my case, it was psychotic symptoms that were causing my social anxiety. Once the anti-psychotic took hold it solved most of my anxiety issues.

[EFerrari]

2. Ditto here for my GAD. It did disappear and to the extent

that I was able to manage a fairly public life with something like pleasure most of the time.

Miles away from the days of being overwhelmed by anxiety and even panic attacks. Go figure.

[Odin2005]

3. I take Paxil and have psychotherapy for it.

Those two things along with meditation have helped my SAD and GAD a lot.

[Forkboy]

4. I just load up on Valium if I'm freaking about going out.

Some days I'm really bad, and other days I'm fine. Being in a grocery store can freak me out, but stick me in the middle of a moshpit and I'm totally fine. Maybe because I know we're all there for the music or something. I don't know. As for a social phobia, my counselor and I are still debating if it's that or if it's just because I'm really not crazy about the human race as a whole. I have almost zero urge to be around people anymore, and I understand that for most isolating is a negative, but I'm just not sold on it being wrong for me as I truly enjoy being alone 90% of the time.

And I have to say, unlike a lot of people, being high in public is totally cool to me, and my anxiety disappears when I smoke. Everyone I know gets all paranoid, but I seem to go the opposite direction. It actually works better than any med they've ever put me on, and not just for the anxiety. However, I know with some people it can increase their anxiety, so I only advise it for me. :)

I hope you find something that can help you. I know for people who enjoy being social that it must be really hard to be so anxious about being outgoing. :hug: