Anxiety and Stuttering

[Professor]

So recently i found out i have general anxiety disorder (GAD) and Social anxiety disorder. I didnt know before because i always thought it was because of my stuttering but it wasnt. I noticed that by when im drivin or goin to a friends house or just to school i have major anxiety and i get nervous/sweaty/dry mouth/heart beats fast etc. Im thinking that all that built up from my stuttering over the years lil by lil and now its at its worst point, and i went to the doctor and i got some pills for it
and they arent working that much because my head always hurts after them so im gonna go to the doctor again and see what thats about. Anyone else have something like this or know some like this? share your thoughts.

[chrish15]

Hi Professor, I was never diagnosed as having anxiety, but I am very apparant that I do, I sweat quite a bit when I am out in public. I think this is basically the fear of what people think of me because of my stuttering. To tell you the truth I don't really mind what people think of my stuttering much anymore as I have gotten to the accept it. Now I am more consious about what people think of me when I am sweating like crazy. Its complicated I probably should figure it out. I did go to the doctor and they gave me Paxil in which I took for about a month they said it would help the sweating ect. I think they use it for Social Anxiety. It only lasted a month and it just made me feel very weird when I was on it so I decided to get off of it after I had some withdrawl symptoms from not taking it one day. Thats pretty much my experience, but I know how you feel and I think they correlate with each other anxiety and stuttering.

[Professor]

thnx for the reply chrish. i get a lot of anxiety when im around a lot of people (school,mall,public places) and i just get anxiety when i have to be around people that i dont know and i worry what they think of me. basically in other words im very self concious, even tho im not bad looking people always tell me i look good n stuff not bragging and i know that but i still have the symptons and i try to stop em or calm down but they keep on getting worse.

[jak]

doctors dont know everything ,for most of us the fear of speaking causes the anxiety,doctors usually give you a drug like paxil ,I think it is a side effect of stuttering to have anxiety

[JDRow]

doctors dont know everything ,for most of us the fear of speaking causes the anxiety,doctors usually give you a drug like paxil ,I think it is a side effect of stuttering to have anxiety

I'd say it would depend on the individuals. It's not like someone who stutters is immune from being anxious in addition to that, and I'd imagine that the same percentage of stutterers have anxiety problems (not caused by their stuttering) as would in the general population. I get very anxious around other people, especially a lot of other people, even in situations where I know I don't need to talk and won't have to, and I think it does affect my speech, but I don't think it's entirely related to it. I tend to think that, if I didn't stutter, I'd likely still have anxiety in social situations. It'd probably be easier if the stuttering didn't compound the problem, but I think they're two separate (but related) things. Most people who stutter probably have anxiety, maybe a lot of it, because of their speech, but I'm sure that some also have anxiety because it's an additional problem they have that they'd have no matter how they talked.

[Professor]

I'd say it would depend on the individuals. It's not like someone who stutters is immune from being anxious in addition to that, and I'd imagine that the same percentage of stutterers have anxiety problems (not caused by their stuttering) as would in the general population. I get very anxious around other people, especially a lot of other people, even in situations where I know I don't need to talk and won't have to, and I think it does affect my speech, but I don't think it's entirely related to it. I tend to think that, if I didn't stutter, I'd likely still have anxiety in social situations. It'd probably be easier if the stuttering didn't compound the problem, but I think they're two separate (but related) things. Most people who stutter probably have anxiety, maybe a lot of it, because of their speech, but I'm sure that some also have anxiety because it's an additional problem they have that they'd have no matter how they talked.

i agree on this. I think my stuttering built up my anxiety over the years because before i wasnt that anxious even in school or some familiar places but now im anxious about anything anywhere i go if i go out or to a large crowd of people. And to say when i talk to people i dont know or anywhere i dont stutter or well it isnt noticable only around (relatives,close friends) but yet still i have major anxiety when i have to talk to someone at a store or at school or someone i dont know.

[Hans]

Hi Professor,
I've just become aware of a general tension and angxiety that is always with me, to the extent that I had'nt even noticed it. Examining this tension, I found it to be caused by my expectation of disaster; something bad just around the corner. Like a stutter suddenly looming up in front of me or a person confronting me. It's my FIGHT OR FLIGHT readyness.

I tapped on this, telling myself that I have no reason to expect trouble of any kind. The tension dissolved very quickly. Look up TAPPING at http://www.emofree.com