college application essay on social anxiety disorder
hey guys, the topic for my essay is about facing adversity. I decided to write about my struggle with social anxiety disorder. Please read my essay and give me some feedback! nothing offensive please. simply constructive criticism. Thank you!
I could sit here and write about all of my achievements throughout high school and my extracurricular activities but that would not describe what brought me to where I am today. I am proudly the person I am today due to three words, social anxiety disorder. Social anxiety disorder affects 15 million people in the United States currently. I am one of fifteen million. I am more than a statistic, however. I am victim and a survivor. Social anxiety disorder is described as an intense fear of social situations/interactions and in result, avoidance of social situations and interactions. At the young age of ten my parents had begun to grow in worry over my intense and unexplainable fear of interacting with other people. My story begins with an unpleasant trip to the psychiatrist’s office in 2005. After I was seated in a cold and unpleasant room for evaluation Dr. Klupper announced the name of my disorder and wrote up a prescription for Cymbalta, an antidepressant. I was only ten years old at this time and I had already begun taking sixty milligrams per day just to get through my days. Suddenly I felt myself trapped under the hold of addiction. The medication was no longer helping my anxiety rather, increasing my anxiety. I began having four to five panic attacks per day. I stopped leaving my house, and I stopped answering my telephone out of fear. I remained inside at all possible hours throughout the next six years.
In 2010 – 2011 during my sophomore year of high school I began to avoid going to school due to intense social phobia. After missing school more than ten times within a few weeks I realized that I had to take a stand over addiction to my medication so that I could achieve good grades. I knew that I wanted an outstanding college education for myself and I also knew that If I could stop taking my medication that my anxiety would decrease due to the adverse effects of my medication. Over the next few days my parents forced me through the doors of my high school, and I forced myself to stop taking my medication. The first few weeks will remain in my memory as the most painful experience of my life thus far. I struggled to keep up with my school work due to intense physical pain from withdrawal. I had little to no physical strength inside my body. The pain grew to the point where I had to be laying down or I would get nauseous and vomit. My anxiety increased to even higher heights. I began having at least eight panic attacks per day at school. Every morning, afternoon and evening I was faced with headaches, vomiting, nausea, lack of appetite and insomnia. Although I was faced with even more so increased anxiety and intense physical pain I continued to wake up every morning for the rest of the year, fight the pain, and go to school. I continued to study and work for hours each night on homework through gritted teeth. Eventually my grades began to soar to all-time highs, the side effects ended, and my anxiety decreased. I used to believe that this disorder had me. I used to believe that this disorder controlled me, and my future. I am thankful to have experienced such an obstacle in my life for it has taught me true mental and physical strength. The experience of slowly overcoming a disorder and battling addiction showed me that a future is something you must fight for; a truly pleasant future is something that must be earned it is not handed to you. I will continue to fight this disorder for the future I know I deserve as well as the education I know I deserve. The University of **** represents my dream of achieving my highest potential of education.