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jawbrodt
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31 Jan 2009, 10:41 pm

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yes, and the more time that goes by and the more interacting i actually do with people (as rarely as that occurs) it gets worse....and just keeps on getting worse no matter what i do. i think my life is going to be a rather short and uninteresting one.



^Have you tried any meds? I have social anxiety/panic disorder with agoraphobia, and meds have helped quite a bit. Suppression mostly, but it is worth it. :)


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starvingartist
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31 Jan 2009, 10:45 pm

jawbrodt wrote:
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yes, and the more time that goes by and the more interacting i actually do with people (as rarely as that occurs) it gets worse....and just keeps on getting worse no matter what i do. i think my life is going to be a rather short and uninteresting one.



^Have you tried any meds? I have social anxiety/panic disorder with agoraphobia, and meds have helped quite a bit. Suppression mostly, but it is worth it. :)


i am already on a moodstabiliser, an antidepressant and an antipsychotic. i also smoke weed. no impact whatsoever. just gets worse. nothing makes the fear of people go away, because i have too many logical, rational reasons to fear people.



starvingartist
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31 Jan 2009, 10:46 pm

the only time i'm not afraid of people is when i'm unconscious. even when sleeping i have nightmares about people tormenting me in various ways (PTSD).



jawbrodt
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31 Jan 2009, 11:18 pm

In retrospect, I guess I am just happy to have the panic attacks under control. I will admit, I cheat though. I take Suboxone, which is a strong opiate, and it is the main reason I'm fairly well functioning. Not recommended though, as my Dr. said.....it is the "forbidden fruit". I will be on it eternally. :)


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ignisfatuus
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01 Feb 2009, 12:01 am

starvingartist wrote:
Aspie4u wrote:
Do you have Social Anxiety Disorder?

Does it make it impossible to meet people?


yes, and the more time that goes by and the more interacting i actually do with people (as rarely as that occurs) it gets worse....and just keeps on getting worse no matter what i do. i think my life is going to be a rather short and uninteresting one.


Heh, same here. It defies logic. Your picture reminds me of one of Robert Smith for some reason. I'm not saying you look like him (hehe), just the stance and hairstyle are kind of reminiscent.


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starvingartist
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01 Feb 2009, 12:04 am

ignisfatuus wrote:
starvingartist wrote:
Aspie4u wrote:
Do you have Social Anxiety Disorder?

Does it make it impossible to meet people?


yes, and the more time that goes by and the more interacting i actually do with people (as rarely as that occurs) it gets worse....and just keeps on getting worse no matter what i do. i think my life is going to be a rather short and uninteresting one.


Heh, same here. It defies logic. Your picture reminds me of one of Robert Smith for some reason. I'm not saying you look like him (hehe), just the stance and hairstyle are kind of reminiscent.


you mean the dude from the cure? and don't worry, people tell me all the time that i look like a man/trannie/dyke/etc etc....i wish i was joking :(

probably doesn't help that i'm always wearing engineer boots (my fryes are my most treasured possession) and a denim jacket and walking around with my hands in my pockets :lol:



Callista
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01 Feb 2009, 2:27 am

starvingartist... no offense intended, really, but if the drugs do not help then why are you still taking them? You can't just let your doctor intimidate you into taking medications that don't do any good.


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pensieve
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01 Feb 2009, 2:54 am

I have never taken any drugs for social anxiety, just supplements.
I did cognitive behavioral therapy and that seemed to work.
I don't have anxiety attacks, nervous thoughts or any other obvious social anxiety symptoms.
I was really anxious after a break up, but I think it was also because of that relationship.



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01 Feb 2009, 3:25 am

ManErg wrote:
"Having said that, when reading about AS, SAD, Schizoid personality, Avoidant personality, introversion etc, sometimes the similarities and overlaps just scream "there must be a missing link between them" to me. I find the idea of a 'unified theory' of the introverted personality disorders appealing. Maybe it is just that we are all introverts born in a time and place where introversion is regarded as a problem."



I think that you are on to something there, it isn't that we are dysfunctional or useless or that our traits are not needed, we have just been put on the bottom of the pecking order in a world that is more focused on image and who you pretend to be rather than who you really are and what gifts you actually have... who could have guessed that this world would come to a place where being gifted, honest, altruistic, genuine, sensible, etc would be considered a problem.

I was diagnosed with social anxiety and depression and given various benzodiazepines and prozac to treat them back in the early 90s, my husband at the time made an appointment for me to see a Dr. because he thought that my not wanting to socialize with my friends or spend all of my time out and about on my time off meant that I needed to be fixed and the Doctor agreed, my friends back then were just like me (introverted, physically sensitive and most likely also on the spectrum) and they didn't mind that I needed time to myself as they did too. the reason for the diagnoses was that I didn't care about socializing and because I was having panic attacks, which I now know is because I was overstimulated due to being an hsp and an introvert, I was still blissfully unaware that I was socially ret*d, so I wasn't self conscious or insecure, because I didn't think that I was the one with the problem, I just thought that people talked about stupid stuff and responded how I wanted to instead of how I was expected to and didn't even notice that anyone had a problem with it (ah, the good ole days), I had never had any desire to interact with people in general unless I could relate to them, as a child whenever my extroverted mother would take me anyplace I would be constantly bugging her to take me home (so she just stopped taking me with her) and if my parents took me and my sibling to visit people with children that were 'normal', I was the strange kid that refused to play with them (I thought they were ret*d), In retrospect I think it is strange that I was given the diagnosis of social anxiety when my anxiety was in no way limited to social situations, I no longer have the anxiety problems because I got rid of what was actually the problem, my husband.. I am still allergic to him (seriously, I get nauseous and a migraine every time I have to deal with him) the Prozac made me more extroverted and did help me to be more 'normal' but it also caused me to lose what made me, me, and I also ended up sick with adrenal burnout as I am not wired to be extroverted, I would never take a prescription again, beside the side effects, there are natural remedies the are helpful for the anxiety and depression that don't change you into someone else.



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01 Feb 2009, 5:04 am

unreal3x wrote:
That sounds pretty S.A.D.

but, social anxiety is apart of aspergers, it is a symptom, not a disorder by its self if you already are on the spectrum.
Alot of cross Dxs I think could be consolidated a little better.

Aspergers anxiety happens from different reasons than Social Anxiety Disorder.


I see your point, but I disagree.

Trying to say X is because of Y is the same as saying Y = Y. That is...

Trying to say Aspergers anxiety (Y) happens from different reasons(X) than Social Anxiety Disorder(X) is like saying one Aspie (Y) is equal to another Aspie. (Y)

We know that to not be true, though. People with Asperger's Syndrome vary in how they are affected by it, which would imply that they wouldn't all suffer from the same things in a social situation. Not to mention whatever skills they may have learned!

edited for error and clarification!



Last edited by Fo-Rum on 01 Feb 2009, 6:16 am, edited 1 time in total.

TheMaverick
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01 Feb 2009, 6:10 am

jawbrodt wrote:
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yes, and the more time that goes by and the more interacting i actually do with people (as rarely as that occurs) it gets worse....and just keeps on getting worse no matter what i do. i think my life is going to be a rather short and uninteresting one.



^Have you tried any meds? I have social anxiety/panic disorder with agoraphobia, and meds have helped quite a bit. Suppression mostly, but it is worth it. :)


what drugs are those?



Zonder
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01 Feb 2009, 7:42 am

Aufgehen wrote:
I would never take a prescription again, beside the side effects, there are natural remedies the are helpful for the anxiety and depression that don't change you into someone else.


Thanks for your experience, Aufgehen. I've been encouraged to start taking a SSRI or other drug for anxiety, depression, and panic, but I refuse because I don't want to change the creative and energetic aspects of who I am. The thing that was causing me much anxiety was an ill-fitting job that I quit at the end of December, and without all of the stress, my outlook has greatly improved, without relying on medication.

Now to find more ways to make a living . . . But for some reason that isn't as stressful as the former job.

Z



ManErg
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01 Feb 2009, 1:11 pm

Aufgehen wrote:
ManErg wrote:
"Having said that, when reading about AS, SAD, Schizoid personality, Avoidant personality, introversion etc, sometimes the similarities and overlaps just scream "there must be a missing link between them" to me. I find the idea of a 'unified theory' of the introverted personality disorders appealing. Maybe it is just that we are all introverts born in a time and place where introversion is regarded as a problem."

I think that you are on to something there, it isn't that we are dysfunctional or useless or that our traits are not needed, we have just been put on the bottom of the pecking order in a world that is more focused on image and who you pretend to be rather than who you really are and what gifts you actually have... who could have guessed that this world would come to a place where being gifted, honest, altruistic, genuine, sensible, etc would be considered a problem.


Thanks. You describe the situation very well, to my viewpoint at least. I'm still frustrated by the contradictory messages we are bombarded with from childhood and it seems odd that those who do not see the contradictions are regarded as normal. By contradictory, I mean when young we're told that we should exhibit your list of traits. Honesty, sensible etc. Then we find that actually displaying these traits is considered 'naive' at best. Insane at worst. To get by in life, we have to tell lies ("society couldn't work if we told the truth"), hurt ourselves in totally non-sensible ways ("go on, just one won't hurt you, everybody in *our* group takes it") "Never judge by appearance". "You only have one chance to make a first impression". "be yourself". "don't be selfish" etc etc . The cost of these contradictions is clearly visible in those of us who simply cannot tolerate them. What I wonder about is whether those who are apparently comfortable with them (maybe even 'policing' us all through these contradictions), are not paying some psychological cost too?

On the wikipedia article it mentions that in China, a reserved, quiet person is more likely to be considered as leadership material than in the US. This may or may not be true, but I'd hazard a guess that the there is no increase in any of these 'disorders' over the last few centuries. What is increasing is narrowly focused images of normality being projected onto us all from the media. Our behavioral traits were there all along, whether they are regarded as disorders depends on the extrovertedness of the prevailing culture.


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Last edited by ManErg on 01 Feb 2009, 5:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

starvingartist
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01 Feb 2009, 1:12 pm

Callista wrote:
starvingartist... no offense intended, really, but if the drugs do not help then why are you still taking them? You can't just let your doctor intimidate you into taking medications that don't do any good.


the drugs are for my bipolar disorder, and they do help with that. nothing helps with the social anxiety.



starvingartist
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01 Feb 2009, 1:13 pm

Callista wrote:
starvingartist... no offense intended, really, but if the drugs do not help then why are you still taking them? You can't just let your doctor intimidate you into taking medications that don't do any good.


and my doctor doesn't intimidate me, he is the best psychiatrist i have ever had. he's helped me more than all my former doctors combined.



starvingartist
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01 Feb 2009, 1:15 pm

pensieve wrote:
I have never taken any drugs for social anxiety, just supplements.
I did cognitive behavioral therapy and that seemed to work.
I don't have anxiety attacks, nervous thoughts or any other obvious social anxiety symptoms.
I was really anxious after a break up, but I think it was also because of that relationship.


i tried CBT, no effect. the problem is i can't talk myself out of anxiety that i don't feel is irrational--because time and time again in my life events have occurred that prove i have good reason to be afraid, so there is no "reasoning my feelings away" like they try to teach you in CBT--there are no cognitive distortions.