Arachnophobia, OCD, claustrophobia; these are all common anxiety disorders, which are the most common mental illnesses in America. Thirteen percent of adolescents and teenagers suffer from anxiety disorders, which may not seem like a lot, but it really is. That means roughly 200 students in our school suffer from some type of anxiety disorder.

     The most common of all anxiety disorders, though, is Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), which is also known as Social Phobia (socialanxietyhelp.com).

     Sometimes the shy kids aren’t really shy. Some can’t help that they don’t talk in class, that they can’t get themselves to raise their hand, or start conversations and jump into conversations occurring around them. Getting up in front of people and being the center of attention doesn’t sit well with SAD sufferers. They also have tendencies to speak quietly, stutter when they speak, or find themselves at a loss for words. Usually they end up on the fringe of a group setting, even if they don’t want to be. It’s not something that is easy to deal with at all.

     How do I know? Because I have Social Anxiety and have had to deal with it since childhood.

     Living with it isn’t easy. I can’t even make phone calls without it kicking in. It’s something I can’t help. I watch how I act now that I know I have it, and I’m just appalled, because it’s not how a normal person acts, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I don’t have it as bad as many people do and only suffer from a moderate case, but it still can keep me from doing so much, even when only so little of the disorder affects me from day to day.

     I’m sure there are many other people in school or in our lives that have it and don’t realize it, and the only thing I can say is: they really need support, because this isn’t something someone can just get over by themselves. For more on social anxiety disorder, visit www.socialanxietyhelp.com.