A constant uphill struggle (Social Phobia Disorder)

Member Name: Kiada

Product:	Social Phobia Disorder
Date:	05/02/09 (56 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: theres support out there

Disadvantages: difficult to live with

"'You're quiet"

I'm not sure where to start with this one, and how easy it is going to be to get into much detail - but to start with just let me say - don't be mistaken into thinking Social Phobia is just your run-of-the-mill shyness.

It's quite a serious and debilitating illness that has the potential to drive into every part of your life, and worst of all can lead onto other things (e.g depression, substance abuse as a coping mechanism) as a consequence.

Personally I've struggled with problems with alcohol and depression alongside social anxiety. I can't say which came first (the depression or anxiety) but I can tell you that the alcohol has always been used to self-medicate and inhibit my fear of social situations. If you find yourself getting into this situation, I advise you to visit your doctor and talk about it.

There is lots of support available out there, and your first port of call is your choice - but visiting your doctor is always a step in the right direction. As counter-social phobic as it might seem - visting one of the various Social Anxiety websites and communities out there can really help aswell.

http://www.social-anxiety.org.uk/ This website has a big community of friendly people mostly suffering from social anxiety. It has a chat
room and a very active forum too. I'm registered on there myself and frequent the chat room often.

I'm sorry it might not be the article you expected, and I hope to put a lot more into words and update the article in the near future so keep checking back if you're interested. I kind of saw the subject and had pressed 'write a review' before I had thought it through properly. Apologies.

Summary: If you think you may be overly anxious, I suggest you find support - its everywhere if you look