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There is no such thing as Social Anxiety Disorder

31K views 168 replies 56 participants last post by  Athena Selene  
You are correct my friend.

Social anxiety is real. But the point is, it's not a mental "disorder".
While, I do agree with this, bluntly telling people that 'social anxiety disorder isn't real' isn't helping anything. What I think your trying to say is that it's not a disorder because it's not in our genes. (Although medical experts beg to differ) It's something that's developed because of an event, or just over time, even if we do not remember this. It's more like an addiction than anything. A bad habit that feels impossible to control, and we hate ourselves because of it. But bad habits can be changed with time and hard work.
If that's what you meant, it would have been easier and more sensitive to say that because the term 'Social Anxiety Disorder' personally helped me identity my problem and (hopefully) work towards getting through it. For me, you saying 'there's no such thing' really shook me up that I went and cut myself. Because that term, as weird as it sounds, gives me the tiniest glimmer of hope that I'm not just shy. That this isn't part of my personality. That the confident, outgoing person I know I am inside is real. Without that knowledge, I'm better off dead.

So while I do (think) get what you're saying, try to be a little more considerate. You're not talking to your computer. There are real LIVING people on this site.