Oh Mark, I'm going through this right now. Just released from the hospital in April and STILL having problems being around people. I go to work but it's an effort to be around people.

I feel quite fragile, insecure and worthless right now. I get on the internet to try to come out of my shell and socialize. I know the real world will follow as soon as I get my confidence back up.

It's ok Mark, we can do this!! Let's be gentle on ourselves and go slow.

thanks SwordDancer!

Social ? Whats that? Oh you mean the Art of being able to communicate with the outside world?
Ha....
I thought that's what TV is for...

Mark you know we love you ...but maybe the problem is simple and hard at the same time... we are sick, depressed, and only God knows what else... we spend allot of time all trapped up inside ourselves ... all alone with whats not really going on with us ... you are at the point where you are now recognizing that you need and want to come out of your shell...

like SD said take your time... think about it ... go ahead and put yourself out there in social situations and just observe ... be the quiet type and look for things to say that are meaningful... you will find that this is what people like to hear .... and you will begin to have friends in no time... its always better to be silent and just answer direct questions then to just get lost in bullshit conversations...
im not saying that bullshit is not healthy but you will want people to know that you think before you act...

thanks very much Tim.

I am only asocial when I am around people I deem superior to me such as professors, pastors,managers, brother's friends, I just feel so inadequate because I want to be articulate but I get all tongue tied.

Oh I have a lot of issues around social situations. I used to be frightened to death of people and that was just the neurotic me let alone the psychotic me. I am sure as your health improves you will venture out of your shell more and more.

I craved attention when I was a teen. I went to the bars, got on stage with the bands and danced naked in the rain. One time I traded shirts with a complete stranger on a city bus because I liked the logo. Definitely a wild one.
Since I became 'ill,' I have lost every relationship and job I have had due to social issues. I am scared of people, and only see my husband these days. I have no friends, no contact with my family, and very stressful relationships with my husband's family.
I do have a couple of Facebook friends, but mostly I just post pictures of my cats or my garden whenever I manage to get myself outside.
I think it is very common for us to push people out of our lives. It's the only thing you can do when your brain no longer computes the rest of the world on their level.

Absotively and posolutely. I let that be okay.

An intelligent marathon runner would not run a marathon the day after they remove a cast from a broken leg. I do not expect myself to run for public office the day after a breakdown. I give myself time to heal.

And I am not too quick to write off those friends who were caught in the crossfire of those breakdowns. Some of those friendships really are as shallow as my illness is giving them credit for. The exceptions are exceptional enough to be worth the pain of review.

When my illness was more severe / getting more frequent "breaks" I'd be scared to death of interacting with others. I'm usually very inhibited/shy around people to begin with, but it gets even worse after I've been ill. I'll be deathly afraid of saying anything "wrong" to someone (I don't even know what would be considered "wrong"? silly brain) and generally retreat from any and all social contact. And I agree, I'm able to communicate fairly well over the Internet, but talking to me in real life is kind of impossible. I'll either run away or get distracted or make no sense. C'est la vie. :)

I'm useless at small talk.But quick with a joke however it's not always well received.

Max, when I was younger I could talk casually much better. Now I am hyper vigilant of the fact that I am so uneasy about my abliity that I cut the conversation to small sound bytes - and letting people "in" while having a dynamic chat is overwhelmingly uncomfortable. I hear you though, when it's about something meaningful AND one on one and private/safe, I am ok. I just get to thinking a bit that my life right now is so much about healing I'd like to talk to people about something else for a change. Maybe that's a good thing? I want to fill my life with other stuff but guess "baby steps" to do it. eh? Sorry a bit of a rant. I sat at the beach today and strangely felt so empty and like I had nothing to offer because of my past that I realized I don't want to be defined just by this and my sense of my limits. But again maybe that's a good thing. Thanks for your response Max (and everyone! :) )

Was the same an Uncle said once at my 21st I was very talkative as a child but as an Adult very quiet in comparison. I guess now don't feel that intelligent and I guess human (normal) to others. Over protective hyper vigilant and private of my issues of mental illness to others. Fearing and getting stigma on disclosure.

DEEP PEOPLE DEEP !!!!

I love it :)

everyone says such coherent thing!! wow very nice. interesting thoughts.
i understand mark!! everyone has always tell me that i am an introvert, was quiet since birth.. i never cried and always slept! my mom told me she would put her finger under my nose to see if i was still breathing.
it's almost like it's been a rollercoaster since then. but i have noticed, my ways have slowly been decaying, and i have been becoming more and more of this weird shell of weirdness.... i am so shy and i barely talk in a day at school.. and when i do talk i feel like i am out of my body and i cannot form a single sentence right! i can't think of simple words like "the" and i space out completely. it's so much easier to talk on the internet because i can take as much time as i want backspacing and thinking of the exact words. i am filled with too many emotions when i talk and the voices echo my head and you worded it perfectly... !! !"Claming up!"
i hope this makes sense... i feel weird opening up... very weird.. but i know you all understand.. i hope!!

Thanks Peureux.