Depression

People with social anxiety often suffer from depression. According to the World Psychiatric Association (1995), 17% of social anxiety sufferers also have major depression. Unfortunately many people who are suffering depression go undiagnosed and untreated. If you are so depressed that your motivation is low and you feel hopelessness about the possibility of overcoming your social anxiety, it may interfere with treatment. Therefore, sometimes depression needs to be treated before social anxiety can be tackled.

The symptoms of depression include:

• lowered mood, feelings of sadness or emptiness

• changes in sleep
  Depressed people may have difficulty falling asleep and typically wake up in the middle of the night and have difficulty resuming sleep. Depressed people may also find they wake early in the morning and can't resume sleep. Other depressed people find that they are sleeper longer than is usual for them at night or that they are having increased sleep during the daytime.

• marked increase or decrease in appetite and associated weight loss or weight gain

• thoughts of self harm or suicide

• decreased motivation

• lack of energy

• thoughts of uselessness, worthlessness, hopelessness or inappropriate guilt

• feeling agitated or slowed down

• poor concentration and memory and difficulty making decisions

• decreased enjoyment of or loss of interest in activities previously found pleasurable or important such as work, hobbies, sport

If you think you may be depressed seek advice from your doctor and/or psychologist.

American Psychiatric Association.(1994). Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSMIV. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press

Montgomery, S.A. (1995). Pocket Reference to Social Phobia London. Science Press Ltd.