Social Anxiety Disorder

I had recently posted about my OCD, but I guess this would be the right board to discuss social anxiety disorders as well. Do these problems usually come in pairs? (On top of depression). I actually don't know which one is worse, sometimes I think it's the SAD. My whole life I've been a shy and very quiet person, but it wasn't until I graduated high school when things started spiraling downwards. I went through a terrible time when I was afraid to go out, even to the grocery store because if even one person looked at me, my face would turn purple(literally), and I would start to sweat. If I didn't remove myself from the situation immediately, I probably would have blacked out. My face/head would become so hot that it would steam up anything that was near it: I had to trade my glasses in for contacts, partly because of this. I greatly enjoy the idea of talking to people, having conversations with strangers over the littlest things, but when I'm actually faced with that situation, I go blank. I can NEVER think of anything to say. I stand there speechless and awkward. I know people are thinking "What's wrong with that girl?" It's humiliating and it makes me feel as if I want to avoid those situations as much as I can in the future. I was in college for a while, but took a break since I moved. However, I really want to go back for my degree but I don't know if I can face going back into a classroom anymore.

How hard for you this must be. PC is a good place to find support when it's hard to face people.

Many of the treatments for OCD and SAD are the same. If you see a doctor, you might be able to get both handled at the same time. Good luck!

That sounds so hard. I hope you find a good doctor and counselor to help you with it.