Do You Get Depressed From Social Anxiety?

[samtheman]

It really gets to me, if I am by myself I have no trouble, This is a typical situation at work for example, Someone talks to me, My mind goes blank, I look like a tool, I then start beating myself up for this, then it triggers depression, and the more I beat myself up the more depressed I get.

[Keep going]

Hello Sam, this is quite normal, with anxiety you get depression there bestest buddies, the key is to keep postive, don't internalise, externallise and stop automatic negative thoughts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_anxiety

Hope this helps, stuart

[Bill]

Yes, all types of anxiety makes us feel "depressed" but I don't believe we suffer from "clinical depression" which I believe occurs without any outside cause. This is why I think anti-depressants aren't effective long term for anxiety because in my experience the mood lift never lasts because the underlying causes to the anxiety are still there which are the thoughts that are frightening us.

I'm happy to be corrected.

[bluebottle]

What is clinical depression? There is no evidence that a chemical imbalance in the brain causes depression. I keep reading its our thoughts, our way of thinking/behaving that make us depressed, yet I wake in the morning feeling like hell and anxious. The gardener Monty Don, he is a lively positive person and suffers with depression, so who is right? I would love to know the answer because medication doesn't work for me.

[skitty]

Yes, I agree.
My doctor keeps trying to treat me for depression but in my opinion this is a secondary symptom. The medication they recommend makes me crazy, agitated, sleepless almost manic and since my problem is health anxiety I have a real problem dealing with the weird feelings and side effects, even taking pills is a problem for me.
On good days when I dont feel particularly anxious and have no physical symptoms I feel perfectly fine.
Treating the secondary depression in my opinion is like giving you panadol for a broken leg - youve got to fix the leg first,then you wont need a pain killer!:)

[Bill]

I'm no medical expert so I don't know how it works but I totally agree with all Skittys post.

If someone suffers anxiety then often depression results due to the anxiety whereas someone with just depression need not suffer anxiety.

I was told by my psychiatrist that none of the many anti-depressants I was prescribed had any long term effects because I didn't suffer from "clinical depression".

Anxiety is created by fear whereas depression alone I've been told can occur for "no apparent reason".

My wife suffers depression but she is never depressed as such. Her depression comes out as lack of motivation etc.

This is why I've always believed that medication can calm our nerves because they can act as a sedative but they can't actually cure what we're afraid of until we confront our fears ourselves. Just as skitty says really - treat the broken leg then you don't need a painkiller.

[jaffacake]

As cheesey as it is I think it's really important to appreciate the positive, non-stress related things in your life.

My job causes me the exact same stress then depression cycle. When i'm in other situations or around people I don't feel will judge me in a way that impacts my life in any major way, i'm fine. I appreciate spending time with my gf, playing with my housemate's dog, playing computer games - all of it, i've learned to love it, not just take it for granted - so when I have to do shitty stuff or know somethings are going to depress or stress me out, I know there are other things, people, places I can see and it won't matter.

Hope this might help - you're not alone bud.

[Freaky Chick]

Hi Sam

Yes i get depressed from my anxiety and social anxiety in particular.

In fact, i have suffered with my anxiety caused by a trigger event at work for over a year now, and on monday i lost my job because of it - as i haven't been able to work since it struck, as i am frightened of all people everywhere.

It gets me down and depressed becasue i can't do things which i never gave a second thought to before. I've just been invited on an all expenses paid holiday with friends, and all i can do is worry about how i would get there and whether i feel well enough to go. Where as just over 15 months ago, i would have been in my car and off like a shot, without thinking about it.

Freaky one!

[PUGLETMUM]

:weep: yeah so obviously this is going to depress ANYONE!!!! but for some stupid reason we then go on to beat ourselves up for being fed up at how we are feeling!!!! put anyone out in the world suffering from anxiety/panic and eventually they will sucumb to it, unless you KNOW why you are feeling the way you are - your mind is now conditioned to react like this to something which actually poses no threat - and you change your attitute to it, so you start to conciously deal with the unconcious part of your mind, by doing such things as de-sentiziation, changing the thoughts you are having, or distracting the unconcious mind at the time of an attack so that the anxiety goes down and you can remain in the threatening situation therby regaining the confidence you need to see these situations as they really are - normal everday things that are not dangerous!!!

and believe me coz im still there now, that you dont have to feel panic for very long periods of time to get you back on track, just facing the situation gradually over days will eventually give you results,but retreating to safety will only bring about the opposite, you will have much more work to do to go back once youve come away. its not the situation that is scary, its what your telling yourself that is causing the problem.