I have anxiety as well. The reason I asked if anyone here is shy is because there's a difference between shyness and social anxiety.
I personally don't think there is any difference, except in degree. I think my username of UltraShy is quite accurate for one with severe SA such as myself. I view SA as just shyness in the extreme, though it's impossible to draw any clear line where shyness ends and SA begins. One could simply say SA = a score of X or higher on the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, but X would just be some arbitrary number and it would seem silly to say one who scores one point under X is OK, but an extra point means you have a mental disorder.
Some social anxiety sufferers can still talk to people, perform jobs that deal with the public, etc. If I worked in a store I literally could not walk up to a customer and ask if I could help them. If I ever need help I cannot ask anyone.
I literally could not work in a store. Actually, my job history or lack thereof strongly suggests that I couldn't work anywhere period. I literally am not even qualified to work at McDonald's because there is no way I could possibly tolerate the social interaction required. That's a rather depressing thought. I'm 36 and a college grad, yet I couldn't handle a job that is frequently held by teens who have parents about my age.
I was once mistakenly marked absent at a class in college and could not say something as simple as "I'm here."
That's hardly shocking by SAS standards. You've surely read the numerous posts by those who dropped out of HS because they couldn't take the social stuff or avoided college due to SA. There is no end to the things people around here have done to avoid social situations and I'm not shocked by any of them since I think I've heard them all before and done many of them myself.
There was once a time when I was sick and felt like I needed medical care but I was too shy to call any doctor or go to the hospital. I'm so pathetic I'd probably let myself drop dead on my kitchen floor before I'd ever pick up the phone and call 911.
That sounds like something I'd do. I'd feel like an idiot calling 911 even for a valid reason, even though Jay Leno has played tapes of real 911 calls made by morons who will call to ask how to cook a turkey and other equally insane things. Though in my case it would be more than just SA stopping me. At this point I'm not at all certain that I'd want to be saved from a natural death. It would finally put an end to my hell. I've gone so far as to tell my mother that if she ever finds my collapsed on the floor she should not call 911, but instead wait to make absolutely certain that I'm dead before reporting my death as I have no desire to be saved when this would finally give me a way out.
I suppose the thing to do would be to at least ask my shrink if there is any medication that actually reduces shyness...
There is, but not a chance in hell that you're getting it. You can send a thank you note to the DEA for making certain of that. If you consumed enough amphetamines odds are you wouldn't be able to shut up. Others have told me they have this reaction and in my very limited experience amphetamines will make me talk in situations where I'd otherwise never say a thing.
