Social Anxiety Forums

livingnsilence · Anxious Poster Joined: 03 Feb 2008 Posts: 19

In all the social anxiety forums I go to it seems that there are more members that are from canada, UK, and australia than the US. For those in those contries, do they try to educate the people about it there in high school or through advertisements or something for more people with SA to know they actually have SA. I know here in the US pretty much the only way people know about SA is if they go to college and learn about it in psychology or research there symptoms on the internet. I wouldn't have known I had SA untill college if it wasn't for a Zoloft comerciall that aired my junior year just a couple times that mentioned social anxiety. I really feel they should try to educate people more on it so those that have SA can find out they have it and find out earlier. An average kid in middle school knows what depression is and several rare mental disorders are but they have never heard what SA is and it is the 3rd most common mental disorder. I think there is something wrong with this. Too bad I'm too shy to ever be able to try do something about it.

elizabeth86 · Terrified Newbie Joined: 13 Feb 2008 Posts: 9

Hi,
I'm from Australia, and I'm 21, and only heard of social anxiety for the first time a month or so ago.
I think I've been living with this since my mid teen years, but it was just this year that I decided it was enough and I couldn't just put it down to me being super sensitive or victimising myself anymore.
So I googled some of my symptoms, and social anxiety kept popping up. My best friend is bi-polar, my mother and brother are on antidepressants, yet I've never heard of social anxiety.
If there was more awareness of it, I think I could have saved myself many years of suffering. It really angers me the lack of awareness.