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Re: OSchl- Social Phobia a real,debilitating illness!!

Posted by OldSchool on March 25, 2002, at 14:00:44

In reply to OSchl- Social Phobia a real,debilitating illness!!, posted by 3 Beer Effect on March 25, 2002, at 13:20:12

>
> 3 Beer Effect response:
> This type of misguided attitude is why Social Phobia has been neglected as a psychiatric illness for such a long time. Social Phobia is the most common anxiety disorder & the 3rd most common psychiatric disorder in the US. Social Phobia has a very high prevalence of comorbid disorders such as panic disorder, agoraphobia, and generalized anxiety disorder. Most disturbingly, lifetime alcoholism rates among social phobics ranges from 10-40% and most often social phobia preceded alcohol use- i.e.- alcohol abuse was used as a form of self-medication. Substance abuse hovers at around 15% for this disorder. (Source text: "From Social Anxiety to Social Phobia- Multiple Perspectives, Hoffman/DiBartolo.)"
>
> Millions of americans never come of out their shell, living a life a quiet desperation- When you have Social Phobia, you don't feel like you are being the "real" you- Social Phobia often results in passed up chances for work promotions, salary increases, dating, marriage, & friendships.
>
> In my particular case I would binge drink in social situations, usually 2-3 times per week on the weekend. Unless I was drunk, I retreated into my shell & couldn't talk to anyone.
> I quit drinking with the help of the SSRI Zoloft- otherwise I was headed down the road to a lifetime alcohol abuse problem (raising serotonin decreases alcohol intake in both human & animal models- I went to some AA meetings but the AA alcohol relapse rate hovers around 70-80%. I also found it hard to relate to people that drink by themselves or drink in the morning, I only drank to be sociable. I think many people in AA would greatly benefit from Revia (Naltrexatone) which takes away any pleasure derived from alcohol, and also an SSRI, but the sponsors in AA outright discourage the taking of medications, which I think is an misguided attitude especially since depression & anxiety disorders are very prevalent in alcoholics. - I've done much better on my own with the help of my psychiatrist & psychiatric meds).
>
> "Why didn't I just go to a family doctor for an SSRI or Klonopin?" I did, but eventually because of the severity of my problem combined with comorbid severe depression & possible ADD he properly referred me to a psychiatrist. Do you really think a family doctor is going to prescribe Klonopin, an arguably addictive & unfairly "demonized" benzodiazpine, in the high doses (2-4mg/day) required to treat Social Phobia?
> Granted, Social Phobia is not as serious as say Bipolar I, but ironically the best medicines to treat Social Phobia are one of the most fatal class of drugs in the history of psychiatry- Nardil & Parnate (the MAOIs).
>
> I don't see why seeing a psychiatrist should be reserved "for people with serious & often severe psychiatric illnesses, as you put it,"- I have private health insurance, my seeing a psychiatrist isn't draining your resources/funds to see a psychiatrist- this is not welfare, I am not draining Medicaid funds.
>
> Anyways, my weekend binge drinking of 10-14 drinks every Thursday & Saturday night at college, led to a depression that became severe, & also resulted in attentional problems- that amount of alcohol coursing through your brain causes brain atrophy, & premature brain aging/lesions & probably caused me a chemical imbalance. Also, I often missed classes on Friday & couldn't study on the weekend because of hangovers.
>
> After trying Zoloft, I exhibited very manic, insomniac, & self destructive behavior and so am now diagnosed with severe depression w/ social phobia & possible bipolarity/ or ADD. I now take a rather effective combo of Lamictal 100 mg, 4 mg of Klonopin, and Provigil 200 mg & have not drank since September 11th, & I am now am about as social as I was after 2 beers, & my self-esteem, concentration, & confidence are way up (although not quite the same as the 3 beer level/effect). Some minor medication adjustments (increasing the Lamictal & swapping Provigil for Dexedrine), & I think I will be back to "normal".
>
> Every persons' case is different, you shouldn't judge them or deem their disorder as "ridiculous" as you have, especially considering you don't know my case history, & my history of self-medicating with alcohol & illicit drugs and the consequences those choices inflicted upon myself (DUI, brain swelling/edema/concussion after fight when drunk, hit by a greyhound bus when drunk -thankfully at low speed so no damage except broken nose). In fact, your comment made me so angry that I thought about it all night long, & spent an hour writing this response even though I had many things I was supposed to do today.
>
> You made two good suggestions atleast, weightlifting would be great for my self esteem & I plan to keep up with my program but too often procrastinate & miss workouts. I considered the US marine corps before I ever saw a psychiatrist but the pay for an enlistee is ridiculously low & I already had enough money for college saved up from working in high school, & the average salary for my major is $33,000 to start, much higher than the $18,000 the US marine corps pay for enlistees. I considered going to the Virginia Military Institute, an excellent & demanding institution would have been a better choice than the military for leadership training, & could have led to a well paying navy/marine corp officer career, but the tuition for out of state residents at VMI is $14,000 per year, & I am not going to learn to talk to girls or have a normal dating life in a college & a career (military), both of which have a dearth of women. Plus, mental & physical hazing wreaks psychological havoc on those with any kind of mental problems/disorder.
>
> In conclusion, my problem is not natural shyness, but I believe "environmentally induced". As a child I was one of the most outgoing children in my entire school & often the class clown & everyone knew who I was. Unfortunately, my Dad got transferred twice to different states, and the last transfer occured in the middle of the 11th grade high school year when I went to a (public) high school but one that is infamous for its snotty, cliquish, & ridiculously wealthy student body. So basically I was invisible for 2 years and retreated into a shell that I haven't recovered from until I discovered the disinhibition effects of alcohol. Alcohol made me feel like my "real" social self & I didn't care what other people thought of me- which is one of my biggest problems. If you notice on this board where I am anonymous & thus do not care what people think, I am (sometimes brutally) honest, & I write messages (in essence talk) until I run out of room, but in "real life" without alcohol or meds, I say nothing, clam up, especially when talking to those within my peer group & especially girls/women my age where my mind goes blank- because of this i'm too scared to ask girls on a date, & if I do date it never goes well because I can't think of anything to say. Often I don't leave my room or house unless I absolutely have to, & must get all dressed up to, in order to do so, since I guess I am too sensitive to criticism/what people think of me when sober.
>
> I would like to get married in a few years (right now i'm 23), but my shyness/social phobia is really making my life one of loneliness & despair. The most frustrating part is that i've heard many nice-looking sorority girls at my school (U of Texas) think i'm cute/attractive & am one of the only guys that knows how to dress well, but in Texas the girls are still kind of old-fashioned & the male is almost always responsible for initiating conversations & asking for & arranging a date- both extremely frightening experiences for me when sober. Because of my social phobia & lack of self-confidence I haven't asked a girl out, dated or had sex in about 2 years.
>
> If that isn't proof of how debilitating Social Phobia can be, then I don't know what else is!
>
> 3 Beer Effect
>
> P.S.- I know some people consider medications to be a "crutch" or "band-aid" for this condition, just like alcohol is but I believe social phobia medication is a useful tool that I plan to combine with cognitive behavioral "exposure" therapy when I return to UT Austin in August.


First of all, I think you took my post wrong, as in I was coming down on you personally. I was not. I felt sorry for you actually and from your post, it sounded as if your main problem was social anxiety disorder and not a major mental illness such as major depression, manic depression, schizophrenia, etc. It didnt sound as if you have a major mental illness.

I personally believe social anxiety disorder is a very common thing and is more of a personality trait than an actual mental illness. Its "who you are," your personality. Its probably genetic heavily. Some people are just shy and have a hard time loosening up, speaking in public, having social conversations, etc. Others are naturally extroverted and outgoing...I personally believe its heavily genetic. I personally believe medication is a poor way to fight this.

I still maintain my opinion that the best way to overcome personality traits like shyness is focused hard work. Again, heavy weight lifting is a good way to go. If you get big and strong enough, you will become self confident. Also, the military is a good way to develop this sort of thing. You must get up in front of people, give commands, learn to give orders, lead training, instruct, teach, communicate, etc. Its a great way to "come out of your shell." I have known several people I have looked up to as father figures who developed their leadership skills via the military. The military is the only place in our society which has real, formalized leadership traininig.

The booze thing could be a problem in itself. Perhaps you have a substance abuse problem and that needs to be handled separately.

Again, Id suggest continuing weight lifting. Dont do bodybuilding it is crap. Do powerlifting or even learn how to olympic lift. Go heavy, go basic, go pure free weights. Do the explosive fast lifts like cleans. Squats. Overhead pressing. Your fast twitch muscles will proliferate to a degree which you never knew. Lift explosively. Do all movements standing, dont do the bench press its a waste of time, do overhead presses instead. Soon, you will find women will be coming to YOU, you wont have to even try anymore. You wont need booze.

I hope you see my point. When a man is physically fit and feels good and looks good, he is self confident. When a man is self confident women tend to come after you.

Old School


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poster:OldSchool thread:100046
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