Posted by Janelle on March 15, 2002, at 17:02:11
In reply to Social Phobia Success Stories?, posted by Addletap on March 15, 2002, at 16:53:59
I never realized I have what I'd consider MILD social phobia or perhaps really more like a lack of assertiveness until I started taking Paxil (an SSRI A-D) years ago (I've since stopped it because it pooped out on me).
During what I now refer to as "the Paxil Years," I became more outgoing, more comfortable with people, especially meeting new people and opening up to people. I was more social in general, more self confident.
I felt so good at the time, but what made me realize that the Paxil probably helped was how much worse I feel since I've been off it and have been trying to find a combo of meds to stablize and get back into the swing of things. I've got the hindsight now to look back at the "Paxil years" and compare how I was then to how I had been before then and how I am now after that time.
I'm not advocating that you try Paxil, I'm just trying to give a *success story* so to speak.
I never would have thought a med could work on social phobia, make one more assertive and outgoing till it happened to me. Maybe it was a fluke because I still see this social phobia thing as having a behavioral component and that good pyschotherapy (talk therapy) could be more beneficial than a med.
Also, there are some things about our personalities that we just can't change, they are part of us and we have to accept who we are. The Serenity prayer and all that. Having some social shyness may be part of that.
Good luck!
poster:Janelle
thread:98184
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020313/msgs/98188.html