I have social anxiety. I am married and have 2 teens. I have not worked in years and try to avoid places where there are lots of people.I also do not like being in large groups. It is rough I know. Hugs.

I have social anxiety, I have no family or friends. I work part time and don't talk to people at work. I shop early in the morning to avoid crowds. The only social interaction I have is on DS. I can't date because I am ill - I have bipolar disorder and no one wants that around. All I do is spend time online and watch tv. It sucks but I don't see a way to change my life. I just don't like being around people. So I'm stuck. I understand how you feel. Big Hugs

I am exactly the same. I am in college full time but ONLINE I do not go anywhere or do anything! I am married and have an 18yr old daughter. My daughter is the only one I will do anything with & she knows it cant be in crowded places...Visiting family only happens on holidays & birthdays & Im out of there asap. I hate crowded places & do most of my shopping online, right down to using peapod. I have 2 dogs & a cat & they are my 24/7 company! I also only have like 2 friends. I have been hurt so much by people its hard to trust anyoone & plus I dont want to go anywhere cuz I get crazy anxiety!!! Im in a better place than I was 10 yrs ago & 10 yrs was in a better place than 10 yrs before that ...so with time I get better. Praise God. I accept where I am and take baby steps....I understand how u feel and am Here if you need to talk...u r not alone....xo

I believe even people with depression are the same way. I use to have social anxiety but it's not as bad as it use to be. Now I just don't have motivation to do anything. When I'm out in a crowd, I feel all alone.

Yup. I have SA, too. Lately, though, I've been lucky and have been able to take more steps out of comfort zones, stretching to socializing more (with people who I KNOW already love me--- although they may not totally understand what I'm dealing with). It's taken me a long time to get to this level.

I can't face people, however, when I'm having a really bad day. Then, I just want to be completely alone. Mostly because, I am also very sensitive to noise & to other people's energy. I easily become overwhelmed, and don't like all the static. I need to minimize the distractions and irritations, bigtime; because I still want to be able to function, even if it is just working on small, simple tasks.

I'm probably not the best person to measure by, however----I'm naturally solitary, always have been, being an artist and loving quiet and alone time as much as I do.

There's a very fine line for me, between isolating and enjoying alone time. It's probably also another reason I didn't pick up on it right away, at the beginning, as a symptom of something "wrong" going on.

I have a theory about this being part of the reason artists & other creative/ highly sensitive people are stereotyped as being "more prone" to depression and it's isolating side effects: because it may simply take LONGER to be detected, period.

I don't like large crowds. It's too overwhelming. I only have a few close friends but see only on ocassion . I suffer severe anxiety as well so I do spend alot of time at home. My husband is a homebody so I'm not pushed to go out a lot. He understands my anxiety do that helps.

You are not alone in this. Just don't have a solution.

I isolate.

For quite a long time i have isolated myself until very reccently where i made the decision to force myself to go out even though i really hated the prospect.

For me the problem was not anxiety it was just a complete lack of motivation which comes with depression, i just didn't want to do or talk to anyone, like many of you have said all i wanted to do was lie in bed all day or play computer games and watch TV, i only very rarely spoke to my cousin online and occasionally my parents and i have never had a girlfriend or intimate relationship.

However, recently i realized that if i didn't make a drastic lifestyle change then i was going to keep falling deeper until i ended up doing something that i couldn't take back.

I forced myself to see a counselor today at the suggestion of some of my friends who have suffered severe depression in the past. I really didn't want or think i needed to see a counselor which is why i have always refused to before but now i have been i see it was something I have been needing to do for a long time.

I realize i have many deep routed issues which i wasn't even aware of which i need to deal with. I really encourage you all please please even if you (like i used to) really don't think you want or need to see a counselor just force yourself to do it. If you cant handle it you don't have to go back, but you might as well try it. I used the Salvation Army center because i didn't know where else do go (even though i am not religious).

I'm feeling a lot better than i have done in over a year just from a simple chat with a counselor where i was able to confidentially get things off my mind.

Im from New Zealand and here they offer a really really good online help support program for depression which is how i initially was able to make the decision to change my life. I'm not sure if you guys can use it overseas but i will link it anyway for you:

depression.org.nz/

I've only just managed to pull myself out of the terrible rut i had got myself into so i'd love to chat to some of you guys and share my experiences and feelings and im sure it would help some of you too so please contact me if you want to get anything off your mind or chat.

I really hope this helps some people to keep their hope up, i was in a hopeless situation myself only a couple of weeks ago but now i feel like im almost starting life afresh.

I have the social phobia....not sure if it's anthrophobia though. It's not that I am afraid of people, it's just that some people i don't like and I'd rather avoid them. I have no AFK friends to speak of at all. I talk to people at work simply because I have to. I haven't charged my phone for 3 days because I haven't used it. no text or anything. IF I didn't have my email acct going to my phone then it wouldn't ever do anything. I can't remember the last time I made or received a call on it. The good news is I did find a group out here in Dallas, TX area. Some of them have a social phobia and they found a 'cure' for it, but it's a bit different and it's not for everyone. lots and lots of fabric! anyone have a sewing machine?

I totally isolate myself. I wasnt always like this, I used to be outgoing and social. I've been sick for 3 years now with depression and anxiety. It was not until I tried to commit suicide that they ran some tests and found my thyroid is low. I have struggled with Rheumatoid Arthritis since I was a young child and as I have been doing research I've realized that I either have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Lupus or Adrenal Fatigue. I would like to try LDN to see if I can get my life back. I've lost so much......my job, my relationship, and since trying to kill myself my son. I am completely alone and feel hopeless most of the time.

I did the same thing---isolation. I could function well enough at work but, when I came home, I didn't want to associate with anyone, I didn't want to go anywhere. What I once enjoyed, I had no interest in. I was never diagnosed with anxiety, just the depression.

After they finally found an anti-depressant that worked for me, things got much better. After a while, I began to realize too, that isolation actually added to my depression. I found out the more I "forced myself" to be more social, the depression didn't seem to be as bad.

I do hope you get to feeling better.

"" what der said with the exception of I simply dont like to be in the middle of drama that being social usually brings to the table even when you go somewhere simple like a supermarket. I like to be around life but keep it at a distance but I do tend to isolate a lot.

Lots of different stories and situations. It helps to know I am not the only one. I guess I sometimes think I am the odd one out in that I feel so unlike any of my friends I know that have families in the traditional sense, husband or wife, children and they attend social gatherings or church functions, or the younger set go to parties or bars. Alot of my isolation is out of protection in that I have been in a series of abusive relationships so I no longer care to engage in dating and possibly ending up with a toxic person in my life. Also most of my family is toxic to me and its just easier to keep my distance as much as possible. I do get lonely though.
I was at one time put on an anti depressant, a generic wellbutron, the Dr even upped the miligram, but I did not find it to help, so I just went off it.
I get a lot of suggestions from people who don't have depression that I need to just get out, date, get over it. I find it amazing how the people that don't have the problem, have the solution to it. ;)

I don't leave my house except for dr. appts., i don't want to be around people at all..i have depression and anxiety amongst other things..i don't miss being around people at all..i talk to my animals..:)

I hate going out of the apt. I just like to be alone all too much. My wife on the other hand cannot stand not being social. She thrives on social events. My ideal social life is with the computer and her.