whatsmyname

is social anxiety learned?

Posted on 09/23/08, 09:20 pm

I thought I read somewhere that SAD is a product of ur environment/experiences growing up which makes sense somehow when I think about my childhood... but is it also part of ur brain chemistry? My mom told me when I was a baby everytime a stranger would walk into my room I'd scream my head off.. I was definitely not a social child...

• Reply #1 09/24/08  7:03pm
  
  lytad
  I believe that part of it is learned, since I have parents that do not do well in a social environment, and I learned from them the neg. now trying to change it all over.
• Reply #2 09/26/08  12:17pm
  
  amyswift
  Its possible that you have been anxious your whole life.. but not likely usually it is learned from your experiences.. If you mother has anxiety and worried excessively during pregnancy .. you would think the chemicals that are spiking with she is nervous or anxious.. would effect the fetus... so I guess its possible.. but when you were a child... were you anxious around your peers... children your age? do you have any extremely stand out memories of a panic or anxious time? I know I had cold sores as a child it started when I was 5 ... I always felt scared to show my face.. because it would spread to both lips and I would look like a duck... I have a memory of panicking when I had to go to school to play the clarinet in front of the class.. and I had a HUGE cold sore.. and I panicked would not go to school cried screamed hid in a corner... anything that would work to get the point across that i was serious about not going to school...
• Reply #3 10/10/08  9:34pm
  
  iloverabbits
  i developed my anxiety when i was about 16 and it has gotten gradually worse and is now getting gradually better.
• Reply #4 10/15/08  4:34pm
  
  amyb26
  i dont really know what causes mine except that it didnt get really bad until after high school and i wasnt surrounded by people all the time. now it gets bad if im not in a social setting for a while. i have to work now so that helps sometimes. its like if im not socializing all the time i forget how and have panic attacks in public. i guess it was there all along and it didnt become an issue until i wasnt being social all the time. its hard to explain. does that make any since at all?
  
• Reply #5 11/04/08  5:32pm
  
  amyswift
  yeah totaly everyones different :) I have always had anxiety even as a child but it got to a point of obstruction when i was in a car accident.. i was knocked out and after that my anxiety and moods were too much to handle>>
• Reply #6 12/01/08  11:48am
  
  tinderhart
  I think I learned it myself. Was very social early in life, but after working with tons of people and with the general public, I became a hermit later in life. Was always a lone ranger, but now I can't be around people much at all. I take anxiety meds with a good result, but still stay to myself mostly.
• Reply #7 12/01/08  4:07pm
  
  simon22
  I think my anxiety is learned; my parents were always strict with me, which in turn lowered my self esteem. I was criticized a lot and compared to other kids by my parents, they made me feel bad about myself. Because of that I became really shy, and later developed social anxiety and as my school year progressed children in school were making of me because i wasn't really social, because of that I didn't participate in any sport activities: I was afraid kids are going to make fun of me. I pulled myself together and graduated from college with honors but I'm still screwed up person.

Hello, I'm Gen82 and suffer from social anxiety (SAD). I noticed there wasn't any group that specifically addressed this disorder at the time so I started my own. Social Anxiety is a term used to describe an experience of anxiety (emotional discomfort, fear, apprehension or worry) regarding social situations and being negatively evaluated by other people. Be kind & considerate to all members & support each other. Please join us, you don't have to feel alone anymore!