People actually say to me "No way, you are really social! You're a social butterfly" and i'm thinking... "That's because i just took 3 fucken Xanax and drank a half a bottle of wine!" lol

It's the same thing like with my Rheumatoid Arthritis. If you can't see it on the outside, it isn't there!

I had to be practically crippled for my grandma to even believe that i had RA. I had to practically show her my blood test that proved i had a disease!

People never care or seem to notice that i have social anxiety disorder. You're not the only one *hugs*

yeah people often don't see it for how it is.

my whole family is outgoing, and i'm the opposite.

once a person gets to know, i'm ok, but strangers or being in large crowds, terrifies me.

not many understand how painful and lonely it is.

i stay in my house most of the time..except when i have to leave, or go somewhere with my sister.

hang in there.

I agree , people like to sweep things under the rug and act like nothing is wrong, and it must just be our fault this is happening.
I have the worst times in my meetings at work...they like to single us out and ask us questions.

Lozz, I really relate to this. All my life people have said, "you're too sensitive, you're too shy..." Like I could just snap out of it. It is a real disorder and if people understood it better, maybe we would feel less pressure to be more social than we are.

I've also spent my life being told that if I would just get out and try harder I wouldn't have any problem. It's only recently that "social anxiety disorder" became an accepted diagnosis, and we all know the old-time biggies (like depression) still aren't believed in by a lot of people. You are definitely not alone in having this problem or in having to deal with others' reaction to it. Keep hanging in there!

i hope i dont sound rude in any way b/c social anxiety is not fun but i have it extremely bad and i do not have ANY friends. i cannot even make new friends because when i begin to talk to someone new that could possibly turn into a friend i panic and talk really fast and they canjust see right through me. they stop talking to me after that. i wish i could even seem like i dont have the phobia and just feel it on the inside. i wish i had friends. i can have a short conversation with a co worker passing by and seem perfectly normal and friendly but anything past that, even to ask a question about my work, i can't hold it together at all. it hurts so fucking bad knowning i will always be this way and always not have friends. i am becoming more comfortable with the idea of being alone though since being with someone else is way too uncomfortable. when i think about the other people out on the weekend with their friends or i see them though, it really hurts bad. i am an attractive girl and i dress nice so i just dont understand why i cant be like every one else. i cant talk to my family and i dont answer the phone when my grandmother calls. the grandmother i loved so much as a child. if i do ever become comfortable around a person i become disappointed easy because i depend on them too much..its very rare i find anyone that i can talk to

... i just mean socal was saying she has people come to her house and people want to be around her. no one wants to be around me and i dont have anyone to come to my house. i understand it sucks feeling the anxiety when they're around and ithink a big cause of depression is feeling alone and left out. i had a friend for two years recently that i grew to trust even though i had a hard time talking to her most times.. but i thought she understood that since she said she's the same way. she had lots of friends and flaked out on me a lot of times. i finaly got fed up with it and told her to fuck off. she said i shouldnt burn my bridges any more and denied everything i had said she does that hurt me, i guess apparently one of us is dillusional. i dont have any bridges to burn and she couldnt be a real friend to me so id rather not have friends. i dont know if its because my social phobia keeps getting worst and she just didnt want to be around me or what it was but she didnt seem like she wanted to bemy friend any more. a co worker at work this week was emailing back and forthwith me and wanted to go out w me this weekend but when we went out on break together i was so nervous talking to her face to face that i rambled on and it didnt help that i hadnt had sleep. she hasnt called me tonight which i was going to ask her if we could do it another time anyway. i would have been polite enough to answer and say that but since she hasnt called i have the excuse to not have to ever go out with her and not talk to her much at all at work.

people who know me say i hide it well too, weird isnt it ,you can feel so scared inside, yet u come across so confident? when we are so far from that!!!

oh yeah, and i have to drink a can/bottle before i leave the house too, prehaps that helps hide it, coz im bloody half drunk before ive even left the house...lol x