Posted by kate9999 on April 6, 2001, at 2:44:04
In reply to Socia- Phobia-Like PTSD ?, posted by jimmygold70 on April 5, 2001, at 10:59:51
Re Judy's suggestions that it's agoraphobia: It might be. From what I've read you can distinguish between agoraphobia and sp - if you're afraid of having a panic attack it's more like agoraphobia. But if you're getting nervous because you feel self-conscious, watched, or "on display" that's more like social phobia.
The PTSD thing - I feel pretty strongly that your doc is wrong.
I think a lot of social phobics are social phobics at least in part because they were picked on in school. Does that make it PTSD and not social phobia? Not by the DSM criteria. Judy's right - there has to be the threat of death or serious injury (to self or other). But the rest of the criteria also require an aspect of reliving the event, as well as "Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (not present before the trauma)." Just read the description: http://www.psychologynet.org/ptsd.html
Overall PTSD really is described as a SET of severe psychological reactions to a SPECIFIC severe trauma.
I don't think it's quibbling to say that humiliation is not "severe enough." I have sp, and I also had an acute stress reaction once when I watched and a woman get hit by a train and then tried to help her. (It didn't last long enough to be ptsd). I can tell you they're 2 totally different animals. SP is all about anxiety, paralysis, and self-consciousness in certain situations. With PTSD or acute stress the effect is much more pervasive - it's like the trauma takes over your life, and everything else becomes unreal.
The simplest way I can explain it is, if it's sp you'll feel yourself once you're not with other people. PTSD is with you all the time.
What you're talking about is more like a conditioned fear response. If it's a fear of being judged or humiliated - I'm sorry - that's the ESSENCE of sp. Maybe not generalized SP, but at least a specific sp.
specific sp maybe responds to different medications than generalized social phobia - beta blockers and anti-anxiety drugs make more sense for a specific social phobia.
> I have been diagnosed for having social phobia about 7 years ago. I've tried every possible treatment for SP, all failed except for, maybe, Klonopin. Now, my new PDoc says I don't really have SP. I can really be comfortable with People, but I get into terrible stress in crouds, and that's more like PTSD I might have got when I got humiliated in elementary school.
>
> Does this theory make sense to you people ? So what is the terrible tension I am feeling ? Hyperarousal ?
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> Jimmy
poster:kate9999
thread:5501
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20010404/msgs/5516.html