# Social anxiety, depression, and ADHD all related?



## mbs (Aug 27, 2007)

So after being diagnosed by my doctor a few weeks ago for social anxiety I've been doing some research on my own. I've discovered that SA, depression, and ADHD might all be related to each other. I believe that for me at least, these aren't all separate disorders, but one has led to another. Just recently I have found out that I have severe ADHD. I had no idea, I thought everyone was just like me. In my childhood I was never socially anxious or depressed but now looking back I can see that I was very ADHD. I had problems focusing in school, talking to people, easily distracted, etc.. all common symptoms of ADHD. When I got to high school I can see how being ADHD led me to become more socially anxious over time. Now after being socially anxious for so long and not being able to make friends easily, communicate effectively, and never feel relaxed in any type of social situation has led to a depressed state.

I think the real problem may be from my ADHD. After taking this test ---> http://www.oneaddplace.com/adhd-test.php and scoring very high I'm pretty convinced that this is where it may have all started. I would encourage all of you to do the same and tell me what you found out.

Another thing I found out, is that people with ADHD are more likely to have allergies to certain types of foods. These allergies may cause anxiety, depression, nervousness etc.. the thing is, you don't even know you have an allergy to these foods because the symptoms may not start until a few days after you have already consumed them, so you might think that these feelings of anxiety and depression are just normal, you wouldn't even think they were from some kind of food allergy.

I'm now pretty sure that these disorders are all related, and one has led to another. I'm going back to see my doctor and I'm going to ask him about it. What do you guys think? Please let me know if you think you have ADHD, take that test in the link above and let me know what you find out.


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## BeachGaBulldog (Feb 13, 2007)

I have all 3, and I feel like they are all intertwined.


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## nemesis (Apr 4, 2005)

Whereas I feel that I have ADHD *due* to my anxiety making it difficult to concentrate but the anxiety and the way that I'm feeling.


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## Mngirl (Jul 13, 2006)

I also think I have all three...I think its gone like this...
ADD....then SA....then depression

My ADD has caused me to have trouble paying attention in school, jumping from topic to topic in a conversation or just not knowing how to keep it going, because of this I am obviously anxious socially (also kids that are mean and call you names even if they are your friends and its just "you're silly/weird etc") that still hurt my feelings as a kid. So then the SA grew, got out of control and developed into depression. 

However, now I am becoming more content with myself and realizing that if it werent for my ADD I probably wouldnt be the creative, interesting person that I am. And I like being different, being normal is boring.As I am finally learning to accept myself, all of these problems are getting much better.


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## VetChick (Oct 2, 2007)

nemesis said:


> Whereas I feel that I have ADHD *due* to my anxiety making it difficult to concentrate but the anxiety and the way that I'm feeling.


Me too. My mom always feels like I'm never paying attention to what she says when I'm drivign or were talking in public


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## winnipegjets (Oct 1, 2007)

BeachGaBulldog said:


> I have all 3, and I feel like they are all intertwined.


Ditto for me. When I started medication at 16, I found not only did my SA improve, but I felt happy for the first time in my life. My grades also improved from low 60's to high 80's since I could concentrate in class.


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## leppardess (Nov 8, 2003)

It's hard to separate those 3 disorders from each other because inattentiveness is a symptom of both anxiety and depression. It's kind of like the chicken/egg debate.. which came first, the inattentiveness or the anxiety or the depression. 

Although, for myself, I have strong reason to believe that I do have ADD (not the hyper variety) as my oldest son was diagnosed with ADD when he was 5. It's not uncommon for women to be diagnosed late in life (I'm 44) as a result of their own children being diagnosed early in life.


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## ctsa (Aug 23, 2006)

I have sa and my brother has adhd, we're polar opposited in every way possible. :stu


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## arunSad (Feb 18, 2012)

Its extremely true for me. I was also the same victim of the series. And the important part is that I knew everything before (although not the terms). I realised all of them and their sequence only after 26 years (which is now) when I have to take medium anti-depressant to help me take out of depression. 

But possibly this problem a gift for people as they normally won't become any bad person in the society. But worst if they are not recognised at all in any stage. This people will either become single handed criminals in near future/ or hang themselves. 

But I want to know is laziness linked to this series??? People say that I had become lazy before. But seriously I don't admit that. Please share your thoughts.


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## blue the puppy (Jul 23, 2011)

i have all three .. i also have OCD. i think theyre all related.


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## syrella (Aug 4, 2011)

I have ADD and I'm pretty sure it's what contributed to my social anxiety. I jump around in conversations, have trouble staying on topic (or fully paying attention to what is said), stutter/have speech problems when excited, and tend to blurt out the wrong things. 

I mean... on one hand, I'm spontaneous and can be pretty funny when I want to be. But on the other hand, being prone to careless mistakes means I have a lot less confidence when I speak... because I know I mess up. I've gotten better at joking about my shortcomings, but not everyone understands my sometimes self-depreciating humor.


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## inerameia (Jan 26, 2012)

*ADHD, Depression and Social Anxiety*

I think for me, ADHD caused Depression and that eventually caused Social Phobia. Or maybe both ADHD and Depression overlapped and caused me to get Social Phobia. When I only had ADHD I didn't play with other kids (at school, but I had some friends in my neighborhood), but I didn't have Depression or Social Phobia. I felt different in the sense that no one understood me. It's as time went by that things got worse and I became more self-conscious. I began isolating myself... I was overly sensitive to criticism so I wanted to avoid it completely. That only developed the Social Phobia that I have now. I don't think there was any way of avoiding it.


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## losermanlol (Sep 23, 2012)

I think my ADD is a side effect of my anxiety and constant over sensory behaviour. 

If I 'm always listening out for something, how can I concentrate.

Fear drives me. I react to things. My life is a reaction, not a proaction.


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## Koenio (May 9, 2012)

@losermanlol. I think you might be right. 

I'm always paying attention to social cues like facial expression, at the same time I'm thinking about my own vibe and the fact that I actually want to be left alone but its rude to say so. I pay attention to anyting except to the conversation... and then I feel guilty that I completely missed everything.
It's a shame I cant rember anything from my childhood so I have no idea how it alle started.


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## Adversary (Mar 20, 2012)

I think they are all separate disorders that often lead to one another. ADHD can cause SA and SA can cause depression.

*edit:* Just noticed this thread was made in 2007.


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## Socialmisfit84 (Jun 23, 2012)

BeachGaBulldog said:


> I have all 3, and I feel like they are all intertwined.


Same here, but I'm ADD(predominantly inattentive). Exclude the hyperactivity.


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## sarahcm (Jun 3, 2013)

I have all three, except instead of ADHD I have ADD. A recent study showed that there is some brain connection that is lost in people with bipolar(which is a type of depression), ADHD, and schizophrenia. All are mental disorders. I think all mental disorders are linked to each other in some way. They all have to do with a chemical imbalance in the brain, after all. I wonder if all mental disorders are actually just one disorder that manifests itself in different ways. It may seem kind of implausible, but what if it is just a chemical deficiency and the chemicals affected are unique to everyone.


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## WarriorGamer (Jun 6, 2013)

I have ADHD and bipolar disorder, and I think they might have caused my SA


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## Dysthymia (May 29, 2013)

Its hard to know which is the root cause, or if they all are.

After being diagnosed with ADHD my university grades went from C- to B+ or A+. The same meds for ADHD helped with all the symptoms of my other disorders. But the question of which caused what is an absolute mystery, i guess the problem is they are all umbrella type terms, not all deppression is the same, neither is anxiety or ADHD, different people different situations, different problems


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## Freckle (Feb 24, 2012)

I have ADD (which I probably inherited from my mother), and I have a stronger tendency to develop SAD (which I inherited from my father's brother). So, I assume ADD came first and SAD came shortly after, and lastly depression because of SAD and ADD.


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## forex (Dec 29, 2010)

anxiety & depression , told me to follow cbt over three months.


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## bobbythegr8 (Apr 1, 2013)

I've never been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD but my counsellor thinks I have it, or did, and I think so too, it'd make sense. 

Depression really started kicking in around grade 6. 

Wasn't really socially anxious/nothing to say til highschool, when I started hanging around with people I had nothing in common with except use of drugs.


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