Hi my name is Edward I am here to talk to you about Social Anxiety Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder also known as Social Phobia occurs when a person is afraid of performing
in a social situation Hey excuse me can we turn off this voice thing
and make my face normal There that's better
My Social Anxiety was so bad before that I would have needed to disguise myself to talk
to some many people These days I seem to be ok speaking in front
of groups, that is just one of the many things I never thought I'd be able to handle
For as long as I can remember I hated public situations where I felt like there was pressure
to perfom gym activities
laugher birthday parties
sporting events cheering/booing
I avoided it, I felt embarrassed, like everyone was staring at me and thinking "look at Edward
he is such a loser" Giving a speech in class had to be the worst
experience for me I would nervously walk to the front of the room, pretty much anything
like that made me feel like I was under the spotlight.
I was convinced that I Iooked stupid and that everyone was judging me, I started sweating
and blushing and shaking it was a nightmare I started to avoid uncomfortable situations,
it seemed like days I was suppose to speak in class or race in gym I ended staying home
with an upset stomach or terrible headache I was to terrified to ask a girl in class
to a dance last year even though I really wanted to take someone.
I watched everyone else dancing and having a good time and I wondered why it was so hard
for me to just chill out and have some fun I know that everyone gets nervous and anxious
sometimes but my anxiety was out of this world, I thought that there was something wrong with
me, my parents were getting worried too "Edward your father and I are concerned about
you, you are such a special young man and we are so proud of you but it seems like your
anxiety is really getting in the way of you enjoying life"
"I went through some similar fears and worries at your age son, I think its time we take
you to see a doctor to get these feelings figured out"
"Hello Edward" "Hi Dr. B"
"Edward you have a condition called Social Anxiety Disorder
think of the different parts of your brain, you got your prefrontal cortex, your basal
ganglia, your limbic system, your amygdala, there is all kinds of stuff going on up there.
Now imagine that each part of the brain is like a different building, the buildings are
connected by pathways, on these pathways are messengers that carry information between
buildings.
These messengers are neurotransmitters, serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, gaba and more
A little bit of stress or anxiety in a social situation is actually helpful.
Think of a gymnast in the Olympics the stress of competition actually helps her perform
better.
In your brain the messages actually start to go haywire everytime you feel social anxiety,
the messengers flood your brain with alarming signals making you feel anxious and paralyzed
with fear We are not exactly certain why some young
people have Social Anxiety Disorder most likely its a combination of factors, genetics, learned
behaviours.
There are some great treatments for Social Anxiety Disorder, what I would like you to
do is to go to this website and reading all you can about Social Anxiety Disorder.
Many people find that once they understand what is happening to the brain and body the
feel a little bit better, I am also going to refer you to a therapist.
She will do something called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with you.
If you are still feeling anxious we can try prescribing you some medication but I would
like to wait and see how you do with the therapy first"
The doctor was right I learned a lot about Social Anxiety Disorder, I went to therapy
and it really helped Remember those buildings sidewalks and messengers
well therapy helped me learn how to slow those messengers down and have more control over
how my brain communicates with my body.
Having my parents support made a huge difference in managing my Social Anxiety Disorder.
I hope this gives you a better understanding how Social Anxiety Disorder works
I've got to run, I joined the speech team and we have to meet tonight.
I am doing all kinds of things now that I would never have dared to do before, its pretty
awesome Social Anxiety Disorder is a real medical
condition if you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms call a doctor and get help you can
also check out this website www.teenmentalhealth.org for more information