Socially Anxious, What to do?

LegacyUser

Hi,


While i hate to self-diagnose, im pretty sure I have social anxiety disorder or some extreme variation of it. Ive never been an outgoing kind of person and have huge fear of people etc. but had to go out at the weekend to a pub with some people i know (i dont drink alcohol so tend to avoid pubs, etc. as much as i can) and my whole experience of it all leaves me wanting to actually go and talk to a someone about the issue (I'm not going to go into any details as I don't want people's opinions on me or my feelings, but on the actual subject of doing something about the issue of Social anxiety).


Where do you go to get a proper, decent diagnosis or help with this? Do you approach just your regular every day doctor (GP)? Only times i've ever went to a doctor was two or three times and was always with a physical problem, nothing like this, so should i approach someone else? or do GPs take on this kind of thing too!?

If it is your GP you go to, does he just try to drug you up to eyeballs or does he refer you to someone else?!


I'm absolutely terrified of approaching my GP (or anyone) about this,so can i ask, if anyones been in my situation before, what did you do to say it to him? i dont want to seem like im going in and just telling him whats wrong with me, you know. im no doctor and i dont want to seem like a know-it-all walking in the door but at the same time i want him to take me seriously.


From what I've gathered from reading threads on here, it seems Ireland is very early-1900s in its attitude towards mental issues or disabilities, so can i ask, is there really any point in talking to anyone about it? I'm really trying to adapt to a "worst case scenario" kind of mindset, so i guess f*ck all help is better than none...?



Also, im pretty much broke, so is this kind of thing expensive?! i have a medical card, but do GPs still take them? and if he refers me to some one else, will the cost start racking up? i really cant afford to go all hollywood with this, and id like to keep it to the bare minimum if i can. so can anyone whose been through this give me any idea of cost or anything please?



sorry for the badly worded post. and sorry for making it look more like a questionnaire than anything else. just a bit stuck at the moment and not sure what to do (if anything).



Thanks a lot to anybody out there that is able to offer me some insight or help here.

Kevster

Hi,

Ireland has actualy improved with regard to mental health. The view that you have about it is probably based on a few bad experiences that you have. ADmittedly, some people still believe that psychiatric (or 'mental' ... ...:() hospitals are full of people who would be harmful to society if released. The reality is that the majority of people in such places are just depressed. I know this because I have spent time in one.

The GP should be the first port of call with all health issues. He/she will not 'drug'. However, he/she may prescribe you with medication that can help you out a bit. For anxiety, the medication you are most likely to be prescribed is an SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor). You don't have to accept the prescription though. Instead, you can ask to be referred to a psychologist for further reassessment.

A visit to a GP should only cost around €50. I don't know if you can claim that back or anything though. Hopefully someone else knows.

Kevin

Xiney

Please visit your GP, and as you have the medical card it won't cost you anything. When you ring in advance to make the appointment you can ask if they accept it, the vast majority of GPs do.

Good luck, OP.