Jeremy,
Everyone on the planet has attention issues and suffers from social anxiety - to a degree. Neither becomes a disorder until there is nothing we can do to master them and they screw up our lives significantly.
Everyone is nervous before a job interview and most feel some apprehension when communicating with authority figures. After all, they have our lives in their hands. We are not in power seat.
I take Adderal XR because I cannot come up with a coping mechanism that will effeciently enable me to sustain focus on priority matters. I do feel uneasy with authority figures. I deal with it by thinking ahead of time what I will say and how I will respond to possible questions. Always try to think of what interests the other person. For example, yesterday I had to deal with a manager at a company I subcontract work from. First words out of my mouth were "how's the daughter doing in college." He went off on a rant about his daughter and I just had to nod my head and smile occasionally. My business took less than two minutes and I was out-a-there. Try stuff like that before popping more pills. If it doesn't work, the drugs will still be there.
Just thought of another trick. Confront your fears by taking a public speaking course. I put on seminars every now and then and find public speaking easy. Unexpected small talk and conversation does not unnerve me as much as before learning public speaking.
Incidently I am 54. I have had a number of years to work on my coping skills. They do not come easy but better than drugs.
Bob
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Originally Posted by JeremyT Ok I was diagnosed with ADD about a month ago I just started taking Ritalin last week. Today I have an Job interview and it has brought another skeleton out of my closet, I am in utter fear of the interview. Thinking about this has lead me to think about other social issues I have. I begin to do a search on google and pulled Up Social Anxiety Disorder. Im begging to wonder what the heck is wrong with me. I realize I have had these probably most of my life however I am just putting a name to it and frankly I am getting depressed about it.
The Social Anxiety symptoms I have are
Fear of communication with authority figures.
For example I shut down when ever I talk with my manager at my current job. He scares the hell out of me, not because he is mean but because he is in authority I cant really describe it but I fear talking to him.
I am always thinking about what others are thinking about me. I will loose complete focus on what ever I am doing because I am wondering what someone is thinking about me
I avoid public speaking
Theres more I wont bore you with them.
Im going back to my Psychiatrist the 21st for a progress check on the ritalin but I think he is going to think Im way nuts when I tell him about this Social Anxiety disorder.
Do they make one pill that does everything? Can you take Ritalin and Paxil, zoloft at the same time. IS there anyone else with the same issues, am I crazy please help
Thanks
Jeremy |
I mix meds, I use Adderal and Welbutrin XR (to even out the Adderal mood swings. It works.) The social anxiety I'd prefer to use counseling, coaching, therapy or a non-medicated way of solving my social anxieties. I'm pretty sure for me the anxieties are cause by the standard fare "your lazy/why don't you pay attention/you head stays in the clouds/you'll amount to nothing" onslaught the majority of us ADDr's have gone though most of our lives. Since a many of us have been through it, it should be a typical complaint psycs hear from ADDr's. Mine picked it up pretty quick and ran with it. He also is very familiar with treating and counseling ADD/ADHD and has a son with ADD. I lucked up here. I look to the new year hoping to solve my anxiety issue. Adderal fixed the zombieness/mind wandering. Now if I could just socially interact "properly and comfortably"...
. I was relieved He prescribed me 10 MG Paxil along with my two daily doses of 10 MG Ritalin. When I told him about this he explained to me that the S.A.D developed out of not feeling inadequate my whole life because no one understood the ADD issue. It makes sense to me now I have never felt equal or above anyone else. I dont really want to feel above but equal would be nice. Its great that Im putting a name to everything now and understanding. I went to a counselor awhile back for a issue related to "Avoiding Confrontation" It didn't really seem to do anything for me so I stopped going. The avoiding confrontation issue comes from the S.A.D issue. Ill try the Med route if that dont work Ill try a counselor again.
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