wow, Susan, so many new people in this thread! this is great! i understand the social issues as i used to have really intense feelings about being around people. i'm somewhat better now. i got a job where i HAVE to interact with patients over and over. it is helping me alot. i am more self-confident. i worked for a year where there were never more than four people in the house at a time and i got lulled into thinking i had my anxieties under control. well, i didn't. my meds are helping me alot. if any of you aren't seeing a doc, please do. and try to find a therapist that you can talk to easily. it's really important to share our feelings about this. one time i went to the OU-Texas game and made it to our seats but when everyone stood up and cheered, i bolted out of there, hailed a taxi and went back to the hotel. when it hit me that there were 61,999 people there with me, i lost it! i'm much more at ease online than i am facing someone. good luck and keep posting. pat