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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Michael Bell on November 21, 2008, at 12:23:05
I am curious as to whether other people on this board who have social phobia have had occasions where their confidence surges, all the social phobia melts away, you feel really good and you could say there is almost a hypomanic component to it. I'm not talking about med-induced hypomania. This used to happen to me before all the meds, although it was rare. I am not bipolar, and the confidence surges would not last long, maybe a couple hours at the most. Anyone else get this?
Another thing I remember from my days of unmedicated social phobia is that if I thought that I accomplished some sort of social success (although this was very rare, being that the social phobia was so pervasive), even something as little as a conversation that went better than I thought it would, I would sometimes get a nice rush of pleasure as a result. However, since starting medication, I no longer get pleasure from socializing or even "social successes". Things are just kind of flattened. i wonder if I have lost the ability to feel social reward.
I guess you could say I think social phobia has two major aspects to it (although there are other issues) - fear of people/social situations and a deficit in reward processing insofar as socializing is concerned
Posted by Phillipa on November 21, 2008, at 12:41:50
In reply to Unmedicated Social Phobia and Confidence Surges, posted by Michael Bell on November 21, 2008, at 12:23:05
Micheal seriously same experience and it continued til added antidepressants with the benzos only it continued for years. Interesting Any thoughts on that? Love Phillipa
Posted by paxvox59 on November 21, 2008, at 15:14:35
In reply to Unmedicated Social Phobia and Confidence Surges, posted by Michael Bell on November 21, 2008, at 12:23:05
I guess it's as simple (to me) as Pavlovian conditioning: reward and response. If I receive a positive stroke in a social setting as the result of an action of mine, I feel better about myself and am apt to repeat that behavior for additional "strokes".
PAX
Posted by HyperFocus on November 21, 2008, at 18:27:25
In reply to Unmedicated Social Phobia and Confidence Surges, posted by Michael Bell on November 21, 2008, at 12:23:05
Are you 100% sure there isn't some bipolar component in your illness? I used to think of bipolar as getting these massive highs and lows in behaviour and mood but that's not what bipolar II is; check this link out and see if anything there hits home with you: http://www.psycheducation.org/index.html
As for the surges I would definitely get them, with or without medication, if I felt I had accomplished some social success. I've read that social anxiety confers a sense of ultimate catastrophe as a consequence of each possible social failure.
> I am curious as to whether other people on this board who have social phobia have had occasions where their confidence surges, all the social phobia melts away, you feel really good and you could say there is almost a hypomanic component to it. I'm not talking about med-induced hypomania. This used to happen to me before all the meds, although it was rare. I am not bipolar, and the confidence surges would not last long, maybe a couple hours at the most. Anyone else get this?
>
> Another thing I remember from my days of unmedicated social phobia is that if I thought that I accomplished some sort of social success (although this was very rare, being that the social phobia was so pervasive), even something as little as a conversation that went better than I thought it would, I would sometimes get a nice rush of pleasure as a result. However, since starting medication, I no longer get pleasure from socializing or even "social successes". Things are just kind of flattened. i wonder if I have lost the ability to feel social reward.
>
> I guess you could say I think social phobia has two major aspects to it (although there are other issues) - fear of people/social situations and a deficit in reward processing insofar as socializing is concerned
Posted by Maria3667 on November 21, 2008, at 18:59:58
In reply to Unmedicated Social Phobia and Confidence Surges, posted by Michael Bell on November 21, 2008, at 12:23:05
Hi Michael,
Well, my social phobia is rock solidly in place, no matter what. If someone compliments me, I always have this voice in my head saying 'they don't really mean it'... I'm a dunce, no matter what.
Something that does alleviate the symptoms a little is when I have a relatively fully booked agenda. This gives me occassions to look forward to... and hence avoid evenings of loneliness, which really aggravates the social phobia for me.
Take care,
Maria> I am curious as to whether other people on this board who have social phobia have had occasions where their confidence surges, all the social phobia melts away, you feel really good and you could say there is almost a hypomanic component to it. I'm not talking about med-induced hypomania. This used to happen to me before all the meds, although it was rare. I am not bipolar, and the confidence surges would not last long, maybe a couple hours at the most. Anyone else get this?
>
> Another thing I remember from my days of unmedicated social phobia is that if I thought that I accomplished some sort of social success (although this was very rare, being that the social phobia was so pervasive), even something as little as a conversation that went better than I thought it would, I would sometimes get a nice rush of pleasure as a result. However, since starting medication, I no longer get pleasure from socializing or even "social successes". Things are just kind of flattened. i wonder if I have lost the ability to feel social reward.
>
> I guess you could say I think social phobia has two major aspects to it (although there are other issues) - fear of people/social situations and a deficit in reward processing insofar as socializing is concerned
Posted by elanor roosevelt on November 22, 2008, at 22:30:47
In reply to Re: Unmedicated Social Phobia and Confidence Surges » Michael Bell, posted by Maria3667 on November 21, 2008, at 18:59:58
good description of me
especially pre-medicatedI still have surges of confidence
and i have gone up and down with that since i was a young childwhat you said about not experiencing reward is the core of what i am working on now
not much progress but i laughed today
good luck
Posted by Phillipa on November 23, 2008, at 18:30:17
In reply to Re: Unmedicated Social Phobia and Confidence Surges, posted by elanor roosevelt on November 22, 2008, at 22:30:47
Eleanor that's great and that is progress!!!! Love Phillipa
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