# Depression and Social Anxiety - which causes which



## Ready To Freak Out (Jul 20, 2010)

I'm just wondering, for those of you who are suffering from both social anxiety and depression, what do you think the causal relationship is? Do you think you have social anxiety because of your depression, or depression because of your social anxiety? Or do you believe that the two just happen to coexist?


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## cblack (Jul 15, 2010)

I think that it can happen either way to be honest. 

But in my expirence, I got depression afterwards.
But i have spoken to many people, who have said that they had depression first... So i guess they can come both ways really ...


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## Ape in space (May 31, 2010)

For me, I had SA first, which caused mild/medium depression a couple of years ago. The SA made me worry constantly about my work stuff, and thereby managed to destroy my motivation and caused some depression. I'm pretty much over the depression now, but the SA is still there, as it always has been.


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## Noll (Mar 29, 2011)

This sounds weird but, I think I have social anxiety due to my depression.


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## Dan iel (Feb 13, 2011)

I think I had both around the same time but social anxiety was stronger at first I think and then now depression hits me a lot harder.


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## iamwhatiam (Mar 23, 2011)

social anxiety came first, depression after. Think depression was strongly influenced by social anxiety.


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## WishIwasSleeping (Apr 12, 2011)

I've had society anxiety since I was little, but had no idea. Didn't know I had it until I started going to therapy for depression. I know that when I get very anxious over something, I end up depressed too.


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## Charizard (Feb 16, 2011)

Probably one of the few SA people I know who can say that my depression is entirely unrelated.


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## justagirl9 (Jun 13, 2010)

I think that mine both hit me at the same time. My sister (who is not a MD, lol) says that my SA probably causes my depression because what I'm often depressed about is all of the things that I'm missing out on.


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## RenegadeReloaded (Mar 12, 2011)

Depression can lead to isolation witch can SOMETIMES develop into social phobia.

But when you have social phobia, you have very high chances of developing depression, with causes isolation, witch makes your SP even worse, witch brings more depression and the vicious circle continues.

I had first sp and when I started losing my friends, and when I saw I was no where near of making a gf i met a full blown depression. Then I dropped school and the rest is history.


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## Hamster (Sep 3, 2009)

Depression first, then SA, then back and forth. I found it's better to have SA than depression (my depression is mainly brought up from loneliness), so I need to force myself to interact with people to stay as happy as I can (though I'm jealous of "normal" people lol).


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## Ready To Freak Out (Jul 20, 2010)

Thanks for the responses guys. I'm interested cuz I've thought for a while that much of my depression stems from my social difficulties, and then for a social psych paper I was writing I had to read a couple of articles on the relationship between depression and social support (or lack thereof); researchers have been trying to figure out whether lack of friends can cause depression, or if it's simply that depressed people tend to have less friends - they concluded that it can be either. Was just curious what the case is for other people with social anxiety.

I find it kind of hopeful to think that SA causes depression - it means that the depression has a cause that can be addressed. SA seems much more treatable than depression, as of yet.


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## cybernaut (Jul 30, 2010)

I had SA since I was little, then the mild depression came during my teen years. I think that my depression resulted from isolation, loneliness, and not feeling accepted by my peers.


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## kesker (Mar 29, 2011)

Some say depression is stuffed emotion--usually anger. You are depressed. You are squashed. Let's say you have SA. What happens. You get pretty fu**ing pi*sed about it. You stuff it. Bam! Depression.


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## egb18c (Apr 22, 2011)

they are definitely linked to each other.
for me, it's depression followed up by SA everytime..


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## Silent Hell (Sep 17, 2010)

I've always been socially anxious, but I've only been depressed for the last 13 years. The number of suicidal people (both successful and unsuccessful attempts) in my family throughout several generations suggests that I would be very likely to develop it anyway though.


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## trendyfool (Apr 11, 2010)

I've been sensitive my whole life, Socially anxious since I was five, and depressed since I was twelve. Both my anxiety and my depression come from being extremely sensitive and not having proper outlets for my sensitivity. When I was young, I would get scary thoughts and have strong reactions to criticism and other people's anger, and I never had an outlet for my reactions--no one knew how badly I felt. I think over time that misdirected sensitivity led to my anxiety/depression. My anxiety definitely fuels my depression more than the other way around. I feel like I can't connect to other people because I'm so self-conscious/anxious, and that makes me extremely sad.


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## Ready To Freak Out (Jul 20, 2010)

Hmmm...followup question: has anyone in here tried CBT?


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## DaveThompson (Apr 24, 2011)

In my situation, Bipolar is causing depression, and depression is making the existing SA much worse.


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## Antis (Nov 2, 2010)

With me it was probably mild depression stemming to SA.


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## CabecitaSilenciosa (Jun 8, 2010)

My problems caused my social anxiety, then those problems and the social anxiety caused my depression. And like some have said, my depression also contributes to my social anxiety. It's a vicious cycle.


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## Neptunus (Oct 29, 2007)

My depression is caused mostly by my SA.


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## Freebird (Apr 20, 2011)

Seems like they feed on each other in a kind of loop.


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## trendyfool (Apr 11, 2010)

Yup, I have tried CBT, am currently trying it. It's helping a lot, but a huge part of that is because my therapist is awesome. Finding a good fit is key.


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## lanzman (Jun 14, 2004)

SA started for me in childhood, so it was first. The only time I really ever felt depressed was after a failed first relationship six years ago. I get mildly depressed ever once in a while nowadays, but pretty much learned acceptance its going to just be how my life is. I hope some day it will change, but not counting on it.


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## Ready To Freak Out (Jul 20, 2010)

trendyfool said:


> Yup, I have tried CBT, am currently trying it. It's helping a lot, but a huge part of that is because my therapist is awesome. Finding a good fit is key.


Is it helping the depression as well?


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## trendyfool (Apr 11, 2010)

Ready To Freak Out said:


> Is it helping the depression as well?


I think so. It's hard to say, because my mood is always shifting. for instance this last week I've been terribly depressed. But I think that long-term I'm getting better :]

what's helping is realizing where my depression is stoppnig me from thinking clearly. It makes it easier to recover quickly. Life today, I went to therapy feeling terrible, and my therapist kept pointing out where my depression was tricking my mind, and I was able to see those traps a lot quicker than I used to. So I'm already starting to feel better, where before CBT I would have just stayed stuck in that negative place.

It also helps that my therapist is basically my life coach, too. I wouldn't have made a lot of the positive decisions I've made without his help and input. so aside from my mood, certain aspects of my life have gotten a lot better through his help.

of course after all that help i'm still left with the reality that i have severe depression and social anxiety. sigh. :/ but at least i'm improving. i know that for sure.


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## Ready To Freak Out (Jul 20, 2010)

Glad to hear you're improving. Definitely gonna be an uphill climb - not easy to change years worth of thought patterns - but obviously worth it.


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## polardude18 (Oct 13, 2009)

Freebird said:


> Seems like they feed on each other in a kind of loop.


I agree with this very much, I think for some people depression causes social anxiety and vice versa. For me it was social anxiety that caused my depression, or at least that is what I think it was.


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## 2break (Apr 28, 2011)

I have my depression first, then comes social anxiety.


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## Dawn Morelock (May 4, 2011)

*Anxiety Problems*

Normally speaking, anxiety and panic attacks cannot be separated altogether because they always come as partners on the run. However, there might be certain causes of anxiety that you should be aware of; that might be the familial causes and the "outside" forces. That is to say, you inherited that anxiety cause from either your mother's side or your father's or something happened to you in the past that made you panicky thinking over things that is traumatic in nature. Anxiety may be even caused by fear and such but remember just then that learning how to accept your fears and dealing with those is one of the best ways that you can do. As for mood swings, that's okay as long as you know how to control your emotions especially towards people. I've been subjected to panic attacks before because I'm kind of afraid of speaking in front of strangers. But now I'm getting over it. Actually, I found a lot of great help from http://www.calmclinic.com/ and learned almost everything about anxiety and panic attacks in there. Maybe you could visit there somehow and be benefited as well.


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## sprøde (Nov 29, 2008)

They are twin-headed *******s! They are like an ugly two-headed ogre. They feed each other.

It was the isolation first that caused realization, and SA made it all possible. Without SA, everything remains rose-colored. Sigh.


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## gr15 (Apr 29, 2011)

My anxiety feeds my depression.


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## im Lost (Dec 4, 2010)

i had depression first i felt like peole didnt understand my own so called friends didnt understand i was quiet so idk what cause my social anxiety.


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## RonM (Jan 5, 2011)

For me it was depression first.

I had it at an unusually early age and it made me a huge target at school. 

After those experiences, and having low self esteem, I began to isolate myself- I do little else but go to work and go home.


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## Tibble (Jan 11, 2011)

For me it was:
Lack of social interaction>Isolation>Social Anxiety>Depression


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## Joe (May 18, 2010)

Social anxiety > Depression > More social anxiety > More depression ect.


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

i think it mostly situational that why medication might not help if you don't change your situation, they might allow you too see what wrong with the picture but if you don't ever change then they just mask symptoms

diffidently Anxiety >depression


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## HarryStanluv25 (Jan 26, 2012)

I have depression because of my SA. I've been SA my whole life and as the years went by, one thing led to another and here I am-BAM! Depressed because of childhood things big and small. So many things SA has done and made me feel as worthless as I do today.


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## ausbby (Nov 18, 2011)

trendyfool said:


> Yup, I have tried CBT, am currently trying it. It's helping a lot, but a huge part of that is because my therapist is awesome. Finding a good fit is key.


It's good to hear this is helping you, it's hopeful to hear something positive. I want to try CBT as well, I'm finding the process of finding a therapist to be nerve racking.

For me my anxiety causes depression. My anxious feelings seem so much more intense than my depression.


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## rapidfox1 (Sep 13, 2010)

Social anxiety causes depression.


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## SapphireMeadow (Feb 8, 2011)

For me it's defiantly that I have depression because of the SA. It stops me from being able to do a lot of things I would like to do or need to do. As a result it causes me to feel like I'm not going anywhere in life and causes my parents to be disappointed in me, both of which totally stress me out and makes me depressed.


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## Dro (Feb 22, 2012)

For me it was depression first. My depression drove me away from people and eventually into my room, where I would stay if I didn't need to eat.


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## Lasair (Jan 25, 2010)

Chicken...egg - Me, I think they were unrelated starting points


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## Minnow (Oct 22, 2011)

For me, depression was secondary to my social anxiety.


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## falco (Jun 1, 2011)

My therapist said that depression caused my SA and I believe it because I started to feel depression symptoms before I had SA :|


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