Andy26
14-02-04, 20:47
Hi all,
I'm Andy (26) from Shropshire. I've been in the chat room on off for a few months now so thought I'd introduce myself properly...
I'm quite confused about exactly what it is I suffer from and how it all connects together but my main problem is eating in front of other people. I can 'survive' (never enjoy) some situations but it seems the more formal the situation the worse it is - the ultimate being eating at somebody else's house which I just can't do. I get a panic attack in these situations - symptoms being nausea, dry mouth, loss of appetite, inability to swallow, sweating and wanting to just get out of there. Obviously some of these symptoms are particularly bad if you're attempting to eat - I usually end up chewing a mouthful for 10 minutes and eventually washing it down with water. Now I just avoid these situations altogether which I know is not good. Recently a friend came to my house and cooked for us which I thought might be ok - but it was just as bad.
I also feel really uncomfortable in many social situations - I don't like parties, pubs, clubs etc and I don't really drink. As a consequence I hardly go out and have very few friends. Is this a phobia though or am I just different to everyone else? Where does being different stop and being socially phobic start?
I know I have very little confidence or self esteem and I'm sure tackling this would be a good start.
Sorry for rambling - if anybody has similar problems particularly with the eating feel free to contact me.
Thanks for reading
I'm Andy (26) from Shropshire. I've been in the chat room on off for a few months now so thought I'd introduce myself properly...
I'm quite confused about exactly what it is I suffer from and how it all connects together but my main problem is eating in front of other people. I can 'survive' (never enjoy) some situations but it seems the more formal the situation the worse it is - the ultimate being eating at somebody else's house which I just can't do. I get a panic attack in these situations - symptoms being nausea, dry mouth, loss of appetite, inability to swallow, sweating and wanting to just get out of there. Obviously some of these symptoms are particularly bad if you're attempting to eat - I usually end up chewing a mouthful for 10 minutes and eventually washing it down with water. Now I just avoid these situations altogether which I know is not good. Recently a friend came to my house and cooked for us which I thought might be ok - but it was just as bad.
I also feel really uncomfortable in many social situations - I don't like parties, pubs, clubs etc and I don't really drink. As a consequence I hardly go out and have very few friends. Is this a phobia though or am I just different to everyone else? Where does being different stop and being socially phobic start?
I know I have very little confidence or self esteem and I'm sure tackling this would be a good start.
Sorry for rambling - if anybody has similar problems particularly with the eating feel free to contact me.
Thanks for reading