# Do your friends and family know you have SA?



## 2u4eva

I have been embarrassed and feel awkward with telling anyone about my anxiety. What has been your experience with telling others about SA, do you tell?


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## KramersHalfSister

My immediate family knows like my mom, dad, stepdad, and brother (he has SA too). When it comes to friends I've never told them and I have no idea why. I had two best friends of over 12 years and I'm positive they would have understood. We probably would still be friends had they known the reason why I couldn't go out with them to a lot of places. I just never had the courage to tell them and for the life of me I can't figure out why.


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## Herewithyou

I tell as often as I can. Not to be confused with I tell everybody I meet. When me and another person become friends and while we are building the trust in our relationship, I will say I have anxiety issues, later minutes or days depends on how I felt about telling them, I will say I suffer from SA specifically and then finally I will let them know that the blushing part bothers me the worst. I first did this out of desperation. I felt so detached from others. Now I do it because nobody has stopped being my friend because I told them. Most say they feel anxiety too. That it is no big deal to them that I have SA. This reminds me that I make so much more out of SA than it is. Hope this helps. It helped me remember to be kind to myself and that nothing in life is all that serious


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## PitaMe

Everyone knows I have anxiety, but not SA specifically. The only person who knows that is my boyfriend.


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## RelinquishedHell

What friends? My parents are the only ones that know.


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## CrimsonRaven

My family knows, but they don't see it has anything and expect me to be the same as my outgoing cousins and brother. Only my mom understands the severity of it....even when I try to explain I get the generic "fixes", just talk to people, be more outgoing, yada yada. But I have my mom and she stands up for me during those occasions ^^


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## Openyoureyes

It's pretty obvious I have it. I'm always forced to do presentations sometimes. & I feel uneasy talking to people and carrying on conversations. My family doesn't have the slightest idea, they think I'm just "shy."


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## PeakOfTheMountain

My mother knows. I have let some of my teachers know.


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## ellarunciter

Family do, yes. Of the 'friends' I do have, no.


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## Charcoal

I've never told my family or friends, but they know that I don't have a easy time in large groups and in public it takes me more time to adjust, but they also are there for me when it gets bad. They do know I have mild depression and respect the fact I choose not to take anything for it. No they don't have a name for it, because to them it is just me I have good days and bad, but who doesn't?

I also don't believe I have to explain myself, I'm working on it, and it is none of their business, if they can't deal with who I am than find someone else. And yes I do have family that don't deal with me being antisocial very well because they are out going and so are my siblings.


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## thing

Family, yes; friends.. what friends?


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## phoenixmee

yes, I've told many.......however, they either don't understand or don't want to talk about it.


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## TobeyJuarez

only my family knows and my sister doesnt take it seriously... one time i reluctantly went to the mall with her and she sent a girl who happened to be in the store over to talk to me and i got really shakey and i broke down and started crying in the middle of the store cause i was so embarrassed... then she refused to talk to me for like a month because she was convinced that it was all an act and that i was really trying to embarass her infront of her new boyfreind who also went with us and get them to break up... not such a fun day


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## andy7

Well i havent told anyone but Im pretty awkward and shy and timid and everything so anyone who knew what social anxiety was could know pretty easily that i have it.


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## Bunyip

My immediate family knows, and some of my extended family. No one else really _cares_ to know.


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## Cletis

They don't know it's SA. They just call me "weird", "odd", "special", "a few sandwiches short of a picnic", etc. :stu

I'm the "special" cousin, nephew, son...


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## BlueScreen

> Family, yes; friends.. what friends?


I know what you mean.

My parents know, my OT [Occupational Therapist] at mental health and my Psychiatrist. Anyone else, none of their business, unless i feel a need to tell them.


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## twisterella

My parents and sister know. My brother and best friend know that I have problems with anxiety, but I've never told them that it's SA.


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## PerfectHallucination

People around me know I'm shy and socially awkward, but they don't know it's SA that makes me to be like this.


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## Openyoureyes

Nope, they have no idea. I give them hints all the time though, but I won't straight out tell them. There like completely oblivious, they probably just think I'm shy


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## jacwall322

My boyfriend is the only one that knows. My father, whom I still live with, is ignorant about these things. He worsened my depression rather than help it, when I made it obvious that I have troubles with it. No way am I telling him I have SA... he'll just say something along the lines of "There's nothing wrong with you, except that you're lazy."

No way am I telling any family.


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## applesauce5482

No one knows


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## Western Front

Nope, I've never told anybody. I've only recently realized I probably have it, but I couldn't imagine telling anyone. I just don't know what they would think about it. I feel like they would think I was making up an excuse or something. I want to tell someone though.


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## inkstain

I don't think my family or in-laws realize the extent of my SA. They just think I'm being stuck-up or am disinterested. : /


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## xTaylor

I've told people. I just get a 'You need to get over that.' back.


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## theintrovertedgirl

Only my mom and sister know,tried telling one of my friends but she thought i was crazy


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## Xmsbby

Everyone except my dad :/ He wouldn't understand tho. And some of my closest friends and a cousin.


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## Buddy900

My family know I have SA, but it doesn't bother them. 

Pretty much all of my childhood friends know I never go out, but I don't think they know I have SA, and I think it's wise not to tell them.


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## cybernaut

I think it truly SEVERE when you feel uncomfortable around your *immediate family* like me..worst feeling in the world. Can't even openly express myself to them like other people. I have made attempts to tell them how its affecting my life, but it's not easy to get my point across. Just today, I was told by my mom that I need to start learning how to talk to people. This is a battle that I'm going to have to fight with and get a grip of on *MY* own.


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## marlow55

I've told a few people in the past and it went WHOOSH right over their heads. One person told me I was some kind of hypochondriac. I guess I must just hide it really well.


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## Tee360

My family does not know. They do not believe in things like depression and anxiety. My only friend does know. It was easy to tell her because she is in worse shape than I am.


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## nitro eh

Ive never told anyone but i plan to soon. Everyone just thinks I'm extremely shy.


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## RelinquishedHell

Friends? LOL. My family knows but they don't take it seriously.


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## JustKittenRightMeow

My Mom and one online friend are the only ones who knew. I don't anyone else I know have even heard of SAD before.


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## hazelblue

Friends and family know I'm definitely different but they put it down to "she's a bit weird" because they don't care or want to know. Other people can be so oblivious to your problems, I mean... it wouldn't take much effort or research to work it out!


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## RollWithIt

I told my mum i'm suffering SA but she doesn't know what it is, I can tell by here expression when I talk about it and tone and voice. If anything it's worried her more because she thinks i'm going crazy. :troll


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## Noun

Haven't told a soul. My parents just think I don't like people since I don't have friends anymore and don't like to go out. I think everyone else in my life thinks I'm just introverted. If someone asks me directly I might admit it if I feel comfortable around them.


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## Vickyy

My family knows and I have recently told my friends and I'm actually really glad I did because now they understand why I often don't want to go out with them and I don't have to lie and make up excuses pretending I'm busy if I don't want to go somewhere.


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## derpresion

i think they might have got a little clue from fact that im most of times at home >__> however instead they are extremely dense about it. theyre like: you just gotta go out with your friends somewhere! :0 stop sitting at home all the time! :-S

anything about medical conditions, ocd's, habbits, development stuff and all this ****. they are pretty much clueless about and explaining things to them just ends up with..ugh..mess.. -_- so im pretty much alone in this.


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## saltyleaf

no not really. wouldnt tell them either. some think im shy/quiet but thats about it. just my bf knows i have it.


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## Adversary

I have only told my parents and a cousin of mine who also claimed to have SA. Most people just wouldn't understand. They would pass it off as if some kind of excuse.


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## guitarFreak

No. My brother just thinks I'm some anti-social misanthrope that hates everything. And the woman that raised me (my gran) just thinks I'm "quiet".


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## 84929

Yes they do. Well most do. I have told my friends well my close friends about my disorder some get it. Other have a hard time understanding it. My family knows about it and it took some of them time to understand it.

My mother just remember she had SA. Apparently that slipped her mind all those years of yelling and screaming matches about me not wanting to go to cause I was afraid :afr

My grandmother also had it sadly she died before I was ever diagnosed with it. I feel I can understand her. I think that's why she was sad for most of her life. Nobody understood her fear. 

My dad knows there's something wrong with me. But he can't understand it. Its beyond his understanding. Just thinks I'm quirky.


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## Neo1234

Yes..My family knows about it..!!!I told them last December and thus got under CBT .Parents have to be supportive though !!!


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## FakeFur

My sister knows of it, but gets annoyed whenever I bring it up. 
My parents have no idea and I don't know if I can ever tell them, because I really believe they wouldn't understand. They just think I'm "anti-social" and prefer to not have friends. They don't know I actually have a problem..


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## Tibble

My family doesn't know, and I don't want to tell them. They only know that I'm quiet. If I did tell them, they wouldn't take me seriously and I would probably be made fun of. And my friends..wait, what are those again?


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## ravens

My mother knows that I do. I have never told my father or my brother, and I don't have any friends.

I told my mother because she has always been shy and would understand. 
She told me one day if it hadn't been for my father asking her out she probably wouid have never gotten married. She only went out on a few dates before she met my father. The guys always laughed at her because she was skinny. After she got married she would go out with my father all the time but they haven't gone out in years because of health problems. I've never wanted to go out at all. 

I remember when I was turning 21, people would say that now I could go out and drink. I just never cared for going out.


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## drowning

Sad to say this but i regret telling anyone...feel like its done more damage to ME. feel like its either brushed aside by some and get treated with caution by others.

Beer is my only true friend.


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## CoastalSprite

I've told my brother and best friend. My brother gets it because he has it too. Best friend does not understand it at all, nor would anyone else I tell... They would think it's just me being really shy. 

There's no point explaining it to anyone who doesn't have it IMO. They won't get it, or worse, they'll think they understand when they really don't.


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## Sameer

..................


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## rbooh

Ive been isolated so long I don't have any friends and my husband discourages me from contacting my family. I haven't talked to anyone in my family for years.


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## visualkeirockstar

No and ill never tell them.


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## marund

they don't know the extent
its hard to explain to my fam
my dad understands well but doesn't' talk about, doesn't know how to deal with it either LOL still he's really social. i don't get it at all. 

my mom understands the most but she's the same as my dad 
my parents are bizarre


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## Mutant Corndog

nobody knows i have SA. everyone thinks im just an antisocial loser. i dont wanna tell the few friends i do have cus they wouldnt care. im even afraid to tell my mom, and i never had a dad so there is no one to tell.


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## Relz

My mom knows. And it was hard enough to tell her.
The way my family is, I'm afraid of being seen as weak by them. My family actually knows very little about me. They think I'm confident and strong, because that's all I let them see. I don't want them to change the way they think about me. I told them about my depression, though and that already flipped their world upside down. I don't want to be further alienated from the only people I talk to on a regular basis.
As for friends... well I don't have any of those to tell. :lol

^*EDIT: Well let me clarity that... I have had friends, but I have never been emotionally close enough to any of them to bother explaining. Not to mention that I didn't know what SA _was _until I was 16 or 17.


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## DesertStar91

I don't think I have to tell anyone. Most people know there's something the matter with me when they see I am more shy than most people. Other than that, if I trust the person enough, eventually I'll tell them what's really the matter with me. Oh, and my family knows everything about me, bipolar and all.


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## valgal123

Parents know, one brother knows, I tell people I can trust. Like older people, they usually place no judgment. I've actually been tossing the idea around of telling my boss! Because I think its pretty obvious to her. She says I'm shy. If I told her what I've dealt with my whole life and that I've been in counseling for years I wonder what she would say to that? I think she just wants me to work on it, and by telling her this she would know "oh val has been working on it for years!" heck, they might fire me. They could easily fire me, and hire a complaisant, lazy, but enthusiastic extrovert and be quite happy.


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## valgal123

I forgot to add that one of the things I dislike the most of SA is always trying to hide the fact that I have problems. I'm a very honest person, so constantly having to lie to coworkers, roommates, is quite annoying. I lie to my parents to, so they don't know how bad of shape I am in. For example Mom-"did you go to the store today?" Me-"oh you know what? the parking lot was so packed, I was in the parking lot trying to find a space for 20 minutes! So no, I didn't go! Man was it crazy busy!" lie, lie, lie and lie. hate it. lie to roommates and coworkers Them-"are you going out tonight?" Me-"no im pretty tired." lie. honest truth-"My SA would be through the roof if I went out with you and 20 other people I don't know."

I've been trying to hide it my whole life!!! parents ask why I didn't pick up the phone, I would say "oh im sorry, I didn't hear it!" I stopped most of the lying to my parents when I was 19. Because they finally figured it out, the hard way. 

I also have had to lie about the cuts on my arms, the reason for dropping 20lbs. the reason for tapping a doorknob 20 times, so many lies. so many


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## harrison

*Hi from Australia!*

It's one thing for family and friends to know about our anxiety and quite another for them to really understand what it's like or to even actually believe it. I think my ex only really has understood what it's been like for me recently - and we were married 23 years ago! About 9 months ago I had a manic episode after I stopped taking Lexapro - I was overseas and had a really bad time, when I came home I could hardly get off my bed for a while, which was the worst I have ever been. I think then it really started to hit home to her.


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## disorderly

only have told one friend. she just says "you need to get over it" maybe not such a good friend after all.


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## disorderly

only have told one friend. she just says "you need to get over it" maybe not such a friend after all.


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## losinghope

Yes my family knows, some of my friends know. But no one knows the severity of it at times. I always try and cover it up cause if people know then i am more anxious around those people very silly i know.


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## TheGoldenCage

My mother and father know precisely what I have, and a good understanding of it. My sister, her boyfriend, my brother, and my aunt who helped in raising me all know I have anxiety issues (I've had them for 12 years)and that I isolate myself, and we've talked about it, but I never used the term S.A. with them - I'm somewhat still ashamed of it, specially with my siblings, their both older than me, and I see them as super successful socially. But I'm going to tell them if the ocasion rises.

I've told my therapist, a psychiatrist I've seen a few times and a college teacher.

I've also told the people in a self-help group I attended briefly.

I have never told any of my few friends about S.A. When I was in my early teens and starting to struggle with S.A., I never trusted the people who were "my friends" enough to really open up. Looking back, I think my instinct was mostly right...it's funny but even though I couldn't see it then, two of my best friends actually bulied me...
And when I met people more mature, more comptible with me or simply more genuine, I freaked out, because these people would ask questions... I actually abandoned auspicious friendships very early not to be "found out" :sigh


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## Charmander

I only found out recently that I had an actual disorder; I thought I was just shy. I've told my mom that I get anxious when I'm going out but she's not very supportive, she just tells me that I'll grow out of it and that she used to be the same way (which is not true at all). And I think my dad saw me logging onto this forum once but he's never talked to me about it. I think I take after him. And I've never told a friend.


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## Monotony

I told my dad but he only took it seriously after it was officially diagnosed. He's been surprisingly supportive, I didn't expect him to understand. Only other person I've told is the girl I have a crush on after she stopped going to school for a semester and I worked up the courage to ask what happend to her.


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## socialdrugs

Only my parents know I have anxiety issues, and only when I suggested to my mum that I go to therapy did I show her a site with SA symptoms, which she printed off and agreed that was me. She doesn't like to say it though. My dad doesn't know it's an actual condition either, he just believes I get stressed easily. When I had friends I'd never heard of SA and I doubt they did either, they probably thought I had asbergers or something.


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## Myluckystar

They do now. My Best friend has it like me. I don't mind people knowing as they already know I'm a shy person.


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## droen

Everyone who's worth anything to me knows about my social anxiety. I don't see any point in hiding it. Everyone I encounter can notice that I'm at least shy, so I gave up trying to hide it and boy what a relief it is. Hell, I've used it as an ice breaker before.


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## A3rghee029

My father is aware and understanding of my GA/SA. He has let me live in his house, Isolate, and not even attempt to get a job for years on and off. Its been 2 years now. He never asks or pries into it, but is willing to help in anyway financially or otherwise to help if I ask. I've always tended to act worse when being pushed into something I feel I'm not ready for. I think, because our childhood was pretty messed up he feels guilty for the way I ended up. I would NEVER use that to my advantage and have told him numerous times not to feel that way. My sister, who is even MORE understanding, has sat me down and talked about getting help and on meds. Since she has had multiple psychotic breaks and is currently seroquel-ed to the top dose, She has never lost her "older sister" knowledge and wisdom to give advice. My Mother on the other hand just told me yesterday to go to some bank because I should have an account with 10,000 dollars in it. I told her I must have gone to the wrong bank. She's so down the rabbit hole that I have to converse with her delusion as reality. Took awhile, but keep it short and sweet and we tend to have a good relationship.


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## stradd

My brother knows, he's pretty understanding of it. I told my dad I had SA and I was very depressed for years, of course his response was to yell at me and threaten to kick me out of the house (which he eventually did, the **** just threw my **** to the street and told me to leave).

I haven't told anyone since, there's no point in telling my family anything anyways they would all just react the same way probably..\


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## crimsonbutterfly

Anyone who gets to to know me for at least an hour knows that something isn't right with me. Mainly because I don't talk much, and I feel socially awkward. It's noticeable to some people, but not all. My immediate family knows I have social anxiety, my mom is accepting of it and supports me but my dad doesn't really understand it very much. I have one friend who knows I have social anxiety as well and he is very understanding of it.


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## FakeFur

My sister knows, and sorta understands. But she hates when I complain about it. I can't talk about it too much with her.
My brother knows I have a hard time making friends, but doesn't know how serious it is or know I have "social anxiety".
My parents have no idea, and just think I'm antisocial and don't wanna makes friends. I wish I could tell them, but they really wouldn't understand :-(


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## ZJA

I haven't told anyone I have SA because I recently found out I have it. Compared to others' experiences mine is more mild. If I told my family, they would make fun of me and probably not believe me. :blank


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## TastelessCookie

My sister and some of my friends know. My parents just think I'm shy and awkward.


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## JayDontCareEh

I doubt most could put a label on it but I'm sure they can tell that there's something a little off about me. (Or alot depending on anxiety levels)


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## Malek

I've told my family I'm not comfortable around people, but never flat out said that I have SAD. Everyone just thinks I'm quiet and shy.


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