Through the eyes of someone with social anxiety disorder also known as SAD
I hear the kids in school talking about their weekend. I hope no one talks to me
because I don't want to say anything dumb. I don't want to give them a reason to judge
They don't realize how much I wish I could be like them
To have confidence to not worry about what others think about me
During lunchtime I often go to the library to write in my journal to help calm my anxiety. I
write about my thoughts feelings and really anything that comes into mind at that moment.
Today I'm going to write about when it all began when I was diagnosed with SAD
When I moved to a different city for university I knew no one I started noticing that I was
constantly nervous around others. I was in constant fear of being judged as being very
self-critical and I thought I wasn't good enough smart enough or funny enough. Being
in social situations made my heart rate increase. It made me nauseous and it made me sweat and even
shake sometimes. I became so scared that I felt like I was suffocating I went to see my doctor
after I recognized my irrational behaviours. He reviewed a list of situations to see if
they make me feel anxious and I was required to complete a self-report questionnaire about my
symptoms. After several doctor visits and countless hours discussing my symptoms I was diagnosed with
sad my doctor explained to me that the causes for a sad can be environmental which include
meeting new people being exposed to physical and emotional abuse bullying and even family conflicts
he also explained to me the genetic components associated with sad I do have a family history
of anxiety disorders he explained to me having a family member with sad means that you are 2
to 6 times more likely to being diagnosed also he told me about recent research that has shown that
changes in a gene called SLE ga4 is associated with sad SLG a 4 is involved with the transport
of neurotransmitter serotonin which helps to soothe nerves and stabilize moods however it is
important to note that both a shortage and excess amounts of serotonin have been linked to sad
today in class we'll be learning about social anxiety disorder sad
which is something that I already know a lot about what are the brain
mechanisms and possible treatment options for social anxiety disorder
oh no he's asking me a question
social anxiety disorder is caused by hyperactivity in the area of the brain called the amygdala the
amygdala controls the body's fight and flight response to respond to perceived threats when
the amygdala is stimulated it triggers anxiety symptoms when individuals experience a lot of
anxiety the frontal part of their brain known as the prefrontal cortex is able to assess the
perceived threatening situation rationally and calm the anxious reactions by sending
signals to the amygdala but people who have sat have a prefrontal cortex that increases
the activity of the amygdala instead which leads to excessive anxious feelings they have a fear
of other people's reactions that their brains interprets social interactions as legitimate
threats and no amount of rational reflection can completely soothe their fears there are many
treatment options currently available to those with side they include anti-anxiety medication
cognitive behavior therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy therapy is considered to be
one of the most effective treatment options as it focuses on identifying individuals
thought patterns and helping them to develop skills to deal with their troubling thoughts
many of my loved ones have been asking me how they can help me
with my social anxiety disorder so today I decided to do some research
here is what I found if you have a friend who is struggling with sad and you're wondering
how you can help them here are some things to consider try to be patient avoid criticism be
a good listener encourage them not to avoid social situations and educate yourself about
the disorder if you have a child who has sad show them affection avoid criticism
and being over-controlling avoid stepping in to social situations to make your child feel more
comfortable because they have to learn how to cope with these situations by themselves