What would be so bad if people were to know you are socially anxious?

[chloee]

You can add your list of bad things and perhaps good..

[Aelwyn]

I would be put off telling people about the SA because of the common prejudices about any psychological problems. I remember once getting my propranolol prescription from a pharmacy, and the two assistants were asking me in a friendly sort of way if it was for a heart condition. When I said it was for anxiety and that I sometimes had panic attacks, they both looked horrified and took a step back, it was embarrassing and very irritating.

I'd also worry it might make people home in more on any sign of nervousness I showed, and that would make me even more anxious!

However I'm sure there are situations where telling people about the SA might help, particularly within a family or with a friend you could trust. My husband knows about the SA and that is a tremendous help to me.

[Hayman]

From my experience, you're stuffed either way…

For years, I masked my Social Anxiety with what I thought were okay and acceptable excuses. I used to spend time coming up with multiple ones. I was accused of not caring, not wanting to know, not making any effort, being lazy, everything is my fault and so on…

I sought professional help who encouraged me to just "be" someone else (no instructions given and by people who have never been in my shoes) and that I should open up. None of their advice worked – only confirming the very reasons why I shy-away in the first place. I actually felt worse after trying to act out their pieces of advice.

I recent years I've decided to open up about my problems. Some people more freely than others. What encouraged me was the media picking up on mental health issues and that regular people are now softening their harshness towards sufferers. Do you know what's happened? My condition has been denied to exist, I'm accused of being avoidant (despite evidence to the contrary), one doctor has openly said there's "nothing wrong with you" and quelle surprise – everything is my fault…

So, I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't… Either way, everyone is convinced that absolutely everything is somehow my fault.

With all this in mind, I have to ask is it any wonder why I have both Social Anxiety and Depression? Why be around people who 'have it all', stigmatise me for not 'materialising' anything in life like they've had, won't listen and don't understand?

In my opinion and please feel free to disagree – saying nothing from my own experience is the slightly lesser of the two evils.

[Mr. Nobody]

I'm not sure many people out there would know what SA was, or how it affected you,
I've come across counsellors and doctors who didn't have a clue about it,
people with little or no knowledge of mental health issues can treat you differently and tip-toe around you if they know "something" is wrong, or different about you,
and this tip-toeing can be really annoying and off-putting,

if it's someone with experience of SA you're telling then,. yeah, .great idea.
if it's people who probably wouldn't know or care about it,. it could make things worse telling them.
if people don't know there's something "wrong" with you, it often makes it easier to get on in life,.
being treated differently can often make things worse for SA sufferers I think.

[bluefairy]

It annoys me when they start telling me how to get over it. I also don't want anyone to feel sorry for me.