Have any of you people been officially diagnosed with SAD (Social Anxiety Disorder)?

I was misdiagnosed with SAD when I was either fifteen or sixteen. It was a misdiagnosis because I now know that my anxiety is due to me having Asperger's.

I have severe social anxiety & am basically agoraphobic, but I was never diagnosed with it.

Yes. Diagnosed with severe social anxiety and agoraphobia when I was 14.

I think in a way, everybody can be diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder, since everyone will suffer depleted serotonin and increased melatonin because of the decreased levels of sunlight during winter months. I think it just affects some more than others.

I actually meant social anxiety disorder Blacky.

Yes, I've been diagnosed with SAD, with the side of some sort of mild panic disorder. Furthermore, seasons have very little effect on my mood, even though this far north our seasonal variation is really profound. If anything, darkness makes me a tad bit more comfortable.

Nah. Never vistited a doctor because of it. And I don't want to go there because... why? Why should I? I would just hear news which are already nothing new to me.

Did you all go to the doctor or whoever diagnosed it on your own free will? Or did someone drag you there?

I realized my shyness had turned in to an excessive fear and found that uncomfortable. I decided I'd seek treatment, since the inability to face other people didn't really make studying any easier.

I was officially diagnosed with social anxiety disorder last year. It was actually somewhat of a surprise because I only went in (on my own free will) wanting to get treated for depression... but now that I have the diagnosis it seems obvious.

oh, my bad, i didnt even read your post i just went straight onto replying lols

I've been diagnosed with Anxious/Avoidant Personality Disorder, which is basically Social Anxiety Disorder with the main fear being criticism or judgment, rather than embarrassment or awkwardness.

I was put into a psychiatry involuntarily when I was 13. After six and a half weeks of observation / evaluation I got my first official diagnosis of social anxiety disorder.

It's not that easy to distinguish all the disorders from each other.
Like Social Anxiety Disorder, Avoidant Personality Disorder, a Depression with elements of anxiety, simple shiness, Agoraphobia, Aspergers, PTSD..
All the criterias to draw the lines are usually only known well enough by psychiatrists and such.
But even they make mistakes. A wrong diagnosis can be a real pain.
I've had wrong ones too. So you can definitely hear something new at times :s

It's fairly easy. Most psychiatrists are just incompetent.

How is it fairly easy?

I’m exactly like that, too. I like the dark season!




I have no official diagnosis but I experience a lot of anxiety and worry constantly.






I agree, Mikan, but if you need some kind of accommodation, it’s unavoidable. The bureaucracy only cares about papers from doctors. If you manage without assistance, then you’re lucky in that respect, but for those who need accommodations in any way, then there’s no way to avoid going to a shrink.







I agree. A lot of shrinks are incompetent. Just look at how many Aspies were misdiagnosed with other conditions like schizophrenia spectrum disorders. A lot of people are having a hard time being diagnosed right even today, 16 years after it became an official diagnosis and 73 years after Hans Asperger described it.

It’s not that hard to tell the diff between disorders. The only joker in the equation is whether or not the patient is honest and forthcoming, or if he/she is holding back or even flat out lying.

Yup, that too. Medication helps a little in social events (like traveling and meeting relatives.) Besides that, I got a brochure about SAD and that's all.

For long time I simply thought I was just shy, that's what people told me and I believed in that for long time. Few years ago I realized that I'm not really a shy person.

When I was a kid, about 9-years old, I was told to be quiet when there are adults around so I wouldn't embarass my parents. My sister (we are twins, she's a minute older than me and considers herself as my big sister) told me the same in school and started avoid me without no reason. She was one of my bullies. To her, even my friends were too embarassing and she acted like she didn't know me at all.

Later, in 7th grade I became more popular, classmates thought I was funny, I knew the good jokes and I was cool enough to hang around with. My sister saw this as competition and mocked me until my popularity were like it was. I got even more bullies after that, but from different class this time and they were guys. Still, back then I was relaxed enough to be myself (somewhat) and there were good, glorious days.

Mom divorced and I moved out to other town with her, my sister lived with my dad and stayed in our old school. I though I could make new friends in the new place but suddenly I lost my self-confidence. I couldn't talk even if I wanted to, I was unreasonably shocked. I just looked stupid and shy to everyone, they didn't bother to get to know me. Most of time I was ignored, sometimes guys spat on me, girls laughed at me and looked down on me. Teacher told me it's my fault, I wouldn't get bullied if I wasn't so shy.

In a half year, we moved out from that little town, near to my birth place, the town I was raised. I was ready to get ignored, again, when I stepped in my new class. Then I heard a girl yelling "Hey are you new? Come sit with us!" First time in my life I was accepted as who I am and in that moment I knew I'm not shy. I talked to this kind hearted girl and to her friends like I knew them for years.
I started a new hobby (I'll just call it "budo" instead of martial arts now) and people I met there, called me shy as well. Most of trainers were adults and I was silent near them, I didn't want to annoy them by being childish, or that's what I thought. Teachers were kind and understanding and I got enough courage to ask questions from them.
Because of some difficulties, I changed dojo and I met other teenagers and young adults I was comfortable with. I was fascinated about learning by listening and asking, slowly I formed my own opinions about mostly everything.

At age 18, I met people who called me shy, again. They were funny alright, but they found it annoying that I wasn't so talkative as them. For first time I told that I really prefer listening people, but I'm willing to answer if someone wants to ask something from me. I was ignored.

Few years ago I finally isolated myself from other world, I was depressed and despised everyone and everything in real world. I started playing MMO-games, I watched movies and anime and sophisticated myself in other ways. I used to argue on internet and tried to develope my arguing skills but soon it didn't matter anymore. Nothing did. Soon I became more open minded and empathetic. I met some people from some irc channel and I was completely ignored, no matter what I said, maybe two people actually listened to me. After that I gave up, I've been thinking since then that I don't belong to among other people. That plus other angsty stuff.

Lots of things happened, I got hospitalized and I'm feeling more confident about myself. I stopped blaming myself and instead I'm trying to help my sister to understand what she does to people (she screwed up almost all her relationships by trying to "fix" people.) I realized that after her graduation party, when she tried to humiliate me again afterwards.

I'm trying to convince myself that other people's opinion about me is insignificant. Anyway, writing about this is very therapeutic and it's my reason and consequence.

I know I posted in here before, but have recently realized that, to an extent, I was diagnosed with it. I was diagnosed with AvPD, which I've recently found out is a severe form of social anxiety disorder. I hadn't known that before.

Yes that's what my meds are for. I'm going to go off of them because Social Anxiety (which the meds doesn't fix rather than take away most of my emotions) is much easier to deal with than being a zombie that needs to take a pill so he doesn't go insane.

Actually, SAD and AvPD are separate disorders. It's just that people with AvPD almost always have SAD as well. But it's possible to have AvPD without having SAD, although not likely.

Odd, meds calm me down physically but I can't feel any changes emotionally, except I'm kinda hooked up to them. Even when I don't need them, I lose my temper more easily than before. A double-edged blade I guess.

Yes. The doc gave me SSRI's for it. They seemed to help, but I don't take them anymore... I don't want to become dependent on them. Also it's bad to have it on your medical records that you need pills to function.

Really I don't see why it matters. Most of these terms are interchangable or just a matter of degree.
Anyway, no I don't need to be told how crazy I am.

I had a teacher refer me to the school shrink for anxiety problems once.
Heh, my psychology teacher, actually. No one ever followed up though,
so I didn't get shrunk by the quack or anything. My family keeps telling
me to go, but that'll only happen over my dead body. Or the dead body
of the next person who suggests I see one of those scam arti...ahem, I mean
"doctors."

Well, not the disorder. If I had a full-blown disorder, I probably wouldn't even be able to go to school.

My therapist did sort of diagnose me with SA, though. Evidently it's a moderate case.

That's what I always thought, but I've seen two articles saying that AvPD is actually a more severe form of SAD, which is why they're so similar.