Suffering from social anxiety disorder. Is there any hope for med school?

[aldolase]

I have been thinking about this since few days but finally decided to make a thread here. This might be an odd situation but here it goes. I have social anxiety disorder for about 3 years which has gradually worsened leading to other problems such as low self-esteem and inferiority complex. Anyone who has social anxiety can probably relate that it can make situations that might seem normal very difficult.



My GPA hasn’t suffered because of it ( cGPA – 3.82 and sGPA – 3.74) but my EC’s took a hit. I have little to no volunteering or shadowing hours. I haven’t taken the MCAT so can’t say that I have good stats.
My major is biochemistry and I will be a senior this fall (I am 20). I know for sure that right now I have very little chance for med school after seeing so many people here with stellar stats and several hours of EC’s. I am planning to graduate in 5 years and apply for Fall 2013. That means that by May 2012, I should have overcome social anxiety disorder and have good chunk of EC’s under my belt along with a good MCAT score. Honestly, I am not worried much about the MCAT. It is changing my personality and the negative thinking associated with social anxiety that is very difficult and I am afraid that I can’t do that soon enough. Preparing for the interview is a big hurdle too. Also, I am very tempted to study for MCAT all summer and ignore my condition but that obviously won’t do any good in the long run but I know I won’t be able to study for it in Fall or Spring.



I was able to find an affordable therapy but there is a 3 month waitlist for that. In the meantime, I am going to try self-help books but I don’t know how effective they will be. I know doctors are supposed to have excellent skills in interaction with people, colleagues, handle difficult situations that come up on daily basis which I obviously have to develop to be a successful doctor. Med students have to give presentations and what not especially during 3rd year and in residency. I just feel sad that I am in this situation. I am surprised that I was able to pass communications course which required speaking in front of the class.


My friend got into a pharmacy school with very little experience and suggested me to do the same but I know that even pharmacy requires good people skills and making decision solely on that is not a good one. I am really worried and I don’t know how I was able to maintain a good GPA in the past semester. Has anyone been in this situation before and was able to overcome this?

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[lpmarcus010]

My friend used to have social anxiety disorder; then he took up drinking and he seems to be doing fine (minus the alcoholism).

On a more serious note, do not neglect your mental health. You should seek out the help of a therapist and perhaps a psychiatrist for interventional meds. Once you begin to recover, you will be uniquely qualified to help others in your situation (maybe through starting a support group at your school) and this is really the kind of EC's that schools love.

 

[cowme]

Can you share a little more about what you mean by social anxiety? Is it any time you are around people or only certain instances (ie. at crammed parties/sporting events or in 1on1 settings)? If you have issues with anxiety in a 1-on-1 setting, you should probably do some type of interview workshop to help for that. Also, you may want to evaluate why you really want to be a doctor. Yes, there are fields like pathology and radiology where you don't need to always speak to patients, but there is still a great deal of interaction on a day to day basis in these fields.

 

[Tapepsi]

Can you share a little more about what you mean by social anxiety? Is it any time you are around people or only certain instances (ie. at crammed parties/sporting events or in 1on1 settings)? If you have issues with anxiety in a 1-on-1 setting, you should probably do some type of interview workshop to help for that. Also, you may want to evaluate why you really want to be a doctor. Yes, there are fields like pathology and radiology where you don't need to always speak to patients, but there is still a great deal of interaction on a day to day basis in these fields.

+1 I'm going to have to agree and ask why do you want to become a doctor? You will be dealing with people everyday.

But assuming you really do want to interact with others but have social anxiety, take it step by step. Start making small talk with others and be friendly. You may be nervous and quiet, but others may see it as you being stuck up.

Or you can just take my philosophy. Talk to everyone and do whatever you want and have no regrets. Always have your friends' backs and they'll return the favor. Kind of like the "if you like me then great...if not well I couldn't care less" philosophy.

Good luck!

 

[searun]

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[Velocity]

You've earned my respect. Your scores and all are very good, despite what you think. It's low self esteem to you, but it comes off as humble to me. (Not that I've misunderstood you - I had and sort of have the same thing, although probably much less severe than what you have.) And the most important part is that you're insightful. I've met plenty of doctors and medical students who were socially inept and very poor communicators, but they never seemed to stop and consider that they could work on improving themselves. This type of consideration that you're showing may seem like it's not a big deal, but it's rarer than we'd like to think. Bravo.

My major is biochemistry and I will be a senior this fall (I am 20). I know for sure that right now I have very little chance for med school after seeing so many people here with stellar stats and several hours of EC’s.

I know for sure that your chances are as good as anyone else's. Your stats are high, and as long as your MCAT scores match up and you don't botch your interviews, you'll get in. Assuming no major changes to your academic trends, and assuming you're as thoughtful in "real life" as you've come across in writing, I don't think you'll have an issue with your interview, either.

It is changing my personality and the negative thinking associated with social anxiety that is very difficult and I am afraid that I can’t do that soon enough. Preparing for the interview is a big hurdle too.

If you can get the social anxiety down to a manageable level and restore some of your self-confidence, the interview won't seem that bad.

I know doctors are supposed to have excellent skills in interaction with people, colleagues, handle difficult situations that come up on daily basis which I obviously have to develop to be a successful doctor. Med students have to give presentations and what not especially during 3rd year and in residency.

The ideal doctor has excellent communication and people skills. Actually, the ideal professional has those traits. Not all do, though, and few who lack those skills seem to recognize it or make improvements. Don't get yourself down on it.

While I definitely think you should try therapy, I don't think you should worry yourself too much over it (unless it's exceptionally severe). You can definitely overcome it.

For myself, my social anxiety was probably light (maybe medium) on the overall spectrum. I would become incredibly self-conscious around others and never really knew what to say, so the idea of interacting with other people was a big-time source of stress. I couldn't eat with others - even with friends - because I'd become so self-conscious and nervous that I'd lose my appetite and begin to feel sick (which usually led to a downward spiral of thoughts of "oh no, what if I get sick, then it'll draw even more attention to me" followed by even worse anxiety and a greater feeling of sickness). Lacking strong social connections while everyone around me seemed to have them kept me feeling badly. I wanted to change things, but didn't know how.

I never went to therapy over it, but I kept a journal that chronicled my thoughts. I'd write about my frustrations, thoughts on what had lead me to be that way, and about my daily experiences, occasionally going back to re-read what I'd written. That was my first year of college, and I don't think that I had much improvement during that time. Any improvement that I made largely faded during the first summer, when I was largely disconnected from people as I buried myself in summer classes. During my second year I again focused on my anxieties, putting more energy into reaching out to others and putting myself in situations that would have been hard for me previously. I suppose it was a form of "exposure therapy." My anxieties gradually lessened and I gained self-confidence in the process. By my third year I was very stable, to the point that I was able to start dating and attend parties (not that parties were ever my thing). Now, many years later and about to start medical school, I'm socially confident and secure, very much unafraid to eat with others or speak up publicly (I still get butterflies right before speaking, but I think we all do - and I enjoy giving talks to audiences). I've come a long way.

I don't know how many parallels there are between your condition and mine. I'll also say it again that it's worth seeing a professional therapist over it, especially if it's really bothering you or if your case is really severe. Whether you see a therapist or not, the work to correct your anxiety ultimately needs to be done by you. Don't stress yourself out by giving yourself a due date to have it done by: you can likely get it to a manageable state very quickly, but to get to where you want to be could take much longer. And that's OK! Self improvement is a life-long process. That you recognize something in yourself that you want to change for the better is highly, highly commendable.

I wish you the best of luck, and hope that you ultimately overcome it and successfully make it into medical school. The medical field could use more people like you.

 

[Eric01]

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[aldolase]

I want to be confidential but will try my best to show the right picture. I am going to reply to the questions by tonight. Thanks for the suggestions so far.

 

[cowme]

First of all, I find it very rude to question why a person wants to become a doctor based off of having social anxiety disorder. A person wants to become a doctor to help their patients and believes in their scientific knowledge and wisdom to do that. In the field of medicine the ability to socialize will always be secondary to that. Indeed, people good at socializing but not science are called lawyers.

Eric, let me clarify my statement earlier. I was by no means implying that it would be a bad idea for someone with anxiety disorder to be a doctor, I was simply trying to gain insight to try to help further.

I also fall on the social anxiety spectrum. I wouldn't characterize it as a severe disorder; it doesn't really hinder my life too much, but I definitely have some mild anxiety in certain social situations. I found that my anxiety was at its worst when taking care of patients. Sure, I was able to still get the information on my patients that I needed and was able to provide great care, but something about 1on1 patient care made me quite uncomfortable, and my patients definitely noticed it, and became uncomfortable themselves. Luckily, I always knew I wanted to go into radiology, so these situations just made that decision easier.

This is why I asked the OP to evaluate why he/she really wants to be a doctor. As I said, my anxiety was pretty mild, but it still got pretty uncomfortable at times. If I had severe social anxiety, and I didn't see a future in radiology, I honestly don't know how I would have made it through some situations.

 

[AntiHouseMD]

You should try a therapist and work on your social skills. Any person, whether a doctor or not, should be able to communicate with others effectively.

However, being awkward doesn't prohibit you from being a doctor. My former doctor, who I had to stop seeing due to insurance things, was awkward and seemed uncomfortable at times. Still, he was the most intelligent and best medical provider I've had.

Try to sort out any problems you might have, as a doctor has to be able to communicate effectively with others. That doesn't mean you have to be completely socially there, though.

 

[beckmancoulter]

Read dying of embarrassment if you haven't already done so

 

[mouthwash4hobo]

I was diagnosed with it a few years back. The therapist basically told me things that I had already read in self-help books. Basically, gradually move towards the settings that make you feel uncomfortable. WRite about them in segments, what feelings you had, symptoms, and thoughts. First, volunteer in a setting you know you can handle, then work your way up towards environments such as the ED. (I'm not ready for that one yet..)

...Try to think about your best qualities while the situation approaches and you're in it. Also learn to truly listen to what others are saying, though hard b/c the anxiety messes with you. If you're focusing on what others are saying, you won't have time to think about your own negative thoughts, and you'll have something to contribute to the conversation b/c you understood what the other person was talking about. Empathize. If you have nothing to say, that's okay too, just show that you were listening to them through your body language. You could be agreeable to some extent.

For myself, I took a big step and had to end up leaving the job because of it. The setting was WAY too uncomfortable. I absolutely dreaded coming into work simply for the beginning meeting we had. Sometimes I would arrive late to miss the meeting, but that made my coworkers upset with me.. sometimes I would find alternatives to the meeting, like obtaining the assignments from the front desk, but that also upset my lead since she didn't know if I had even came into work until she tracked me down in the room. ABsolutely childish, but that's what the anxiety was like for me, unbearable.
Also, when actually in a case, I wouldn't make conversation with the doc or nurses unless they talked to me..I had nothing to say!! So, I just focused on my job and felt inferior to my coworkers b/c I didn't know how to relate with them. Couldn't bring myself to simply engage in getting to know them, though day to day was working with different people.

Everyday I had to work, I had negative thoughts until I got there, and then arriving on campus they worsened. I lasted 6 months in that job because I wasn't ready to be in such an environment. It didn't work out for me because I couldn't tolerate the anxiety that the meetings gave me, and working with that many people, couldn't get to know everyone, hated the break room, very uncomfortable eating lunch with them..


For now, I work by myself or with another, but interact with customers face-face on a one-on-one basis/few people.. which is MUCH easier! I'm learning how to feel comfortable with the public by focusing on their needs and not my self-conscious thoughts. I'm good at one-on-one interactions, but groups are still kind of hard for me, especially if I don't already know them that well. And sometimes, with acquaintances the anxiety comes back out of nowhere! I'll think I've moved on, then at random, I feel self-conscious for an amount of time again. But, I continue to work through it step by step. From when I was diagnosed until now, I can tell that I have improved, even though I had to take a step back. Remember your strengths and listen to others, not those negative thoughts. Good luck and if you have any questions, please pm me.

 

[Eric01]

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[Kalamazoo]

Social anxiety can be overcome but it's really something you need to be actively trying to repair. I agree with an earlier poster who said to face the situations you fear. Little by little you should start to feel more comfortable. Exercising regularly helped me immensely when this was a large issue in my life. It relieves stress, builds confidence, and brings a different focus to your life. It's medicine without having to take any drugs.

 

[searun]

I've learned a lot in terms of treating social anxiety through my personal experiences. Feel free to PM me questions.

A lot of universities offer free CBT programs as apart of training their clinical psychologist students. If you happen to live by a major university, see if they have an anxiety research clinic that could provide you with therapy.

In addition, toastmasters is an excellent resource once you've begun CBT. Honestly you need to spend at least three to four weeks going over daily cognitive restructuring and low intensity exposures before you can do toastmasters, unless you're extremely brave and gunho. However, it is actually possible to take steps back, so if you try to do something that's totally outside your comfort zone and brings on a category 5 panic attack, you're going to be doing yourself a lot of harm.

I forgot to mention cycloserine is only useful in conjunction with exposure exercises. It does nothing for your anxiety by itself, but instead it's thought to work on the amygdala which is in charge of conditioning the brain towards anxiety. Once you've initiated an exposure exercise and dropped your safety behaviors i.e. engage in a public presentation, your brain eventually recognizes and reevaluates the threat posed by the situation. This process is known as extinction, and it is in the critical time period that cycloserine ramps up the amygdala activity and thus assists extinction learning. I'm not sure about the detailed explanation of it, but that's my interpretation of it.

The rational behind exposure therapy is simple. You must drop safety behaviors (looking away, focusing/modifying your voice, swaying back and forth, moving your leg quickly, hiding components of yourself. etc etc) when you engage in exposures, and you must do these exposures repeatedly.

Anyways, once you've worked your way up enough, I would suggest joining a toastmasters club, they have many opportunities for you to talk to strangers and engage in public speaking. Also your school usually offers mock interviews, do those as well. The more times you do it and the longer you do it for, the more progress you will make.

In terms of medication, apart from SSRI, the most effective drug for SAD is Nardil. Which is a throwback to the 1950s (interesting to note, the chemical phenelzine which is Nardil was also derived from an anti-tuberculin - iproniazid) [[anti-tuberculin antibiotics seem to have a tendency to work well for mental illness]]

The thing about Nardil is that you have to basically avoid eating foods containing tyramine, things like aged cheese and draft beer. You could very well die if you mess up. However, the drug works wonders for SA. Probably because it works on serotonin, dopamine, GABA, and noepinephrine.

Anyways, feel free to ask me questions.

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[aldolase]

Can you share a little more about what you mean by social anxiety? Is it any time you are around people or only certain instances (ie. at crammed parties/sporting events or in 1on1 settings)?

I have the classic symptoms of social anxiety. The most predominant being fearing and avoiding scrutiny of others. The concern that I would say or do something that will result in embarrassment. Fear of new situations/unexpected events. I would imagine negative events during volunteering or shadowing where I would be put on spotlight and judged. I am not even in med school and I am already imagining how I would handle rotations and what if I mess up in front of attendings. I know it sounds stupid for those who don't have social anxiety. Surprisingly, 1 on 1 settings don't make me uncomfortable except for interviews where your career is at stake. I can talk effectively with professors/classmates and have many friends too. I gave pretty good presentations for my undergrad classes so far but was very anxious before presenting. I want to present without being self conscious or very anxious.

I wasn't like this few years ago. I am from a small asian country (can't name it for confidentiality) where I spent most of my life. I really liked how patients (mostly poor) would line up at the doctor's office where he would treat them with very small fee. That was the first instance that attracted me to medicine.

I was shy but didn't really had social anxiety. I came to US and started working as a clerk at a grocery store while still adapting to new environment. I was very cautious of my behavior since I was in a new land. Some events occurred during my job that paved the way for social anxiety. I quit that job and started avoiding every possible situation that involved judging/evaluation. I know that brain over exaggerates the situation but I couldn't help it. The avoidance continued into college where I focused on grades while avoiding building EC's until a point where I realized that I am screwed.

Before I was eager to do customer service job but now I can't. I can't make phone calls due to fear of not being able to answer questions that a customer might have but I can very easily make a phone call to my ISP if my internet is not working because they aren't going to judge me and there is no fear. I know that the negative thinking is irrational and I am trying to beat it.

Assuming you're as thoughtful in "real life" as you've come across in writing, I don't think you'll have an issue with your interview, either.

Social anxiety has limited my ability to gain valuable experience that I could talk about during interview. I fear that adcomms would see me as fake or uninterested in medicine which is not the case. I definitely have to learn to articulate my interest in medicine if I get any interviews. I can prepare for every question from the interview feedback and still feel not ready and fear an unexpected question that I will be unable to answer. Ahh, this mind.

Read dying of embarrassment if you haven't already done so

Thanks for the suggestion. I have heard good things about it. I am going to start group CBT along with audio series of CBT by Thomas Richards. I can't afford individual therapy currently but I am applying for medicaid which hopefully will cover it.

Social anxiety can be overcome but it's really something you need to be actively trying to repair.

I am finding it very difficult to break away from familiarity which is essential for overcoming this disorder. I feel locked into a cycle of studying, taking exams, studying again and trying to escape from stressful situations by wasting time watching movies and playing video games. I know I have to overcome this to be happy in life. Almost every profession requires good communication skills and I obviously don't want to live like this my entire life.

I think that I can develop discipline and self confidence by going to a therapist who can gauge my progress but as you said, I have to be active in fighting it. I have to get everything done may 2012 hopefully. I am already graduating in 5 years to have time for building EC's.

 

[Velocity]

I am not even in med school and I am already imagining how I would handle rotations and what if I mess up in front of attendings. I know it sounds stupid for those who don't have social anxiety.

Heh, my wife (now finishing her third year) was terrified of attendings and residents when she started her third year. I wouldn't say that she has social anxiety, but she's an introvert and occasionally has fears of being negatively judged by other people. We would talk about her experiences, and a few interesting things came up. Notably, she saw that even residents and attendings didn't know every single thing, and that they were capable of messing up. She also began to realize that she knew more and was more capable than she was giving herself credit for. It was a sort of balancing act: in her own mind, she was raising herself up while recognizing that others were more similar to her than she had realized. She still cares about what others think, but negative remarks bounce off of her now. When you know your own worth and you know that others are just as human as you are, the idea of being judged (and even actively being judged) doesn't matter as much, I suppose.

Social anxiety has limited my ability to gain valuable experience that I could talk about during interview. I fear that adcomms would see me as fake or uninterested in medicine which is not the case. I definitely have to learn to articulate my interest in medicine if I get any interviews. I can prepare for every question from the interview feedback and still feel not ready and fear an unexpected question that I will be unable to answer. Ahh, this mind.

My opinion is that if you came from a small nation where doctors weren't overly rich or revered, and you were attracted to medicine based on what the doctors were actually doing, then you're the real deal. You need some volunteering experience, but you don't need to log 500 hours that includes 100 done in Africa... you know what I mean? Just be yourself. Be aware of what the competition is doing, but don't focus too much on it. You'll always find people who have done a little more than you have, but it doesn't necessarily make them a better candidate (or you a worse one). Trust me, you're tearing yourself down on this point.

You've worked your way into a comfortable position, but you recognize that it's not where you want to be for the rest of your life. You can do it!

 

[bunnity]

It sounds like you're at a university - do they have a counseling center? Both my undergrad and my vet school have full service psychological help for all students - maybe yours does too?

 

[aldolase]

A lot of universities offer free CBT programs as apart of training their clinical psychologist students. If you happen to live by a major university, see if they have an anxiety research clinic that could provide you with therapy.

The rational behind exposure therapy is simple. You must drop safety behaviors (looking away, focusing/modifying your voice, swaying back and forth, moving your leg quickly, hiding components of yourself. etc etc) when you engage in exposures, and you must do these exposures repeatedly.

Thank you for the helpful input. I am going to start group therapy at my university soon while studying for MCAT this summer. As you said, I have to drop safety behaviors and move out of comfort zone little by little.

 

[pachyworthia]

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[AntiHouseMD]

Don't doubt yourself. Based on what you've said, you have picked medicine for all of the right reasons. You want to help people, not for the chicks, money, power, and chicks (Scrubs quote). I used to have something similar to what you have, albeit much less severe. I never talked in class or asked questions, afraid that it would seem stupid or I would screw up saying it (some people thought I was English because of my voice, even though I'm from Boston. Voice is still bad, but getting better). Eventually, a year or two ago, I became tired of my mindset, basically forced myself to be more social, and it worked. There's hope for your disorder, it'll just take hard work, therapy, and a strong mind.

Think about it this way. Most people won't judge you if you make a simple mistake or something like that; those who feel the need to criticize you are the idiots, not you. Take it small steps at a time, and I think you'll be fine.

Good luck on everything, and remember you can get through this.

 

[Eric01]

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[n3xa]

Heh, my wife (now finishing her third year) was terrified of attendings and residents when she started her third year. I wouldn't say that she has social anxiety, but she's an introvert and occasionally has fears of being negatively judged by other people. We would talk about her experiences, and a few interesting things came up. Notably, she saw that even residents and attendings didn't know every single thing, and that they were capable of messing up. She also began to realize that she knew more and was more capable than she was giving herself credit for. It was a sort of balancing act: in her own mind, she was raising herself up while recognizing that others were more similar to her than she had realized. She still cares about what others think, but negative remarks bounce off of her now. When you know your own worth and you know that others are just as human as you are, the idea of being judged (and even actively being judged) doesn't matter as much, I suppose.

I completely relate to this as I did the exact same thing in graduate school.

 

[Velocity]

I completely relate to this as I did the exact same thing in graduate school.

Same here. I entered the lab fresh out of undergrad, uncertain of my knowledge and techniques, basically terrified that I was going to do everything wrong. Surely everyone else was worlds ahead of me. As I learned more, I was consistently amazed at how the post-docs and even the PI I worked with seemingly lacked basic knowledge of our research area and our basic techniques.

I think my lab's collection of people was a bit unique in the knowledge gaps (other labs seemed to know what they were doing), but it was a real eye-opener to realize that you could get that far without really knowing your stuff. I still respect those above me, and I don't go around assuming that all post-docs and PI's lack the basics, but I no longer assume that everyone else is far ahead of me. For that, I'm no longer intimidated by other people.

That was probably the best thing I got out of my graduate degree, and I think I got a lot more than just that out of the experience

 

[ManBroDude]

This is an AMA from a 24-year old with social anxiety his entire life who went to a social anxiety cognitive-behavioral group sessions. Pretty fascinating stuff. Hope it helps.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/hiyzl/24_year_old_who_suffered_social_anxiety_his/

 

[gymhaze58]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0GZYTDGDYS02TNV82TJM

This book. I highly recommend you order it and read through it. I've found it extremely helpful in dealing with my generalized anxiety. Its also really helpful to have someone to talk to that knows about your anxiety, whether its your therapist or a friend.

 

[WeAreNotRobots]

My GPA hasn’t suffered because of it ( cGPA – 3.82 and sGPA – 3.74) but my EC’s took a hit. I have little to no volunteering or shadowing hours. I haven’t taken the MCAT so can’t say that I have good stats.
My major is biochemistry and I will be a senior this fall (I am 20). I know for sure that right now I have very little chance for med school after seeing so many people here with stellar stats and several hours of EC’s. I am planning to graduate in 5 years and apply for Fall 2013. That means that by May 2012, I should have overcome social anxiety disorder and have good chunk of EC’s under my belt along with a good MCAT score. Honestly, I am not worried much about the MCAT. It is changing my personality and the negative thinking associated with social anxiety that is very difficult and I am afraid that I can’t do that soon enough.

the problem is in bold.

your stats are great and you have plenty of time for shadowing and EC's. just take your time and go at a pace you are comfortable with. plenty of people in medicine and any other career have problems they have to manage, so just find out what works for you.

 

[Law2Doc]

...That means that by May 2012, I should have overcome social anxiety disorder and have good chunk of EC's under my belt along with a good MCAT score. Honestly, I am not worried much about the MCAT. It is changing my personality and the negative thinking associated with social anxiety that is very difficult and I am afraid that I can't do that soon enough. Preparing for the interview is a big hurdle too. Also, I am very tempted to study for MCAT all summer and ignore my condition but that obviously won't do any good in the long run but I know I won't be able to study for it in Fall or Spring.

I was able to find an affordable therapy but there is a 3 month waitlist for that. In the meantime, I am going to try self-help books but I don't know how effective they will be. I know doctors are supposed to have excellent skills in interaction with people, colleagues, handle difficult situations that come up on daily basis which I obviously have to develop to be a successful doctor. Med students have to give presentations and what not especially during 3rd year and in residency. I just feel sad that I am in this situation. I am surprised that I was able to pass communications course which required speaking in front of the class.


My friend got into a pharmacy school with very little experience and suggested me to do the same but I know that even pharmacy requires good people skills and making decision solely on that is not a good one. I am really worried and I don't know how I was able to maintain a good GPA in the past semester. Has anyone been in this situation before and was able to overcome this?

All disorders/anxieties have a range of severity. If you have a severe social anxiety, you will not be able to be a physician. If you have a very minor one and can "beat" it, then sure, folks who were mildly introverted wall flowers sometimes blossom in med school. I think you aren't doing yourself a service putting a time frame on when you will apply to med school. You need to resolve this issue first, before you put yourself into what will, at a minimum be a very expensive situation. Honestly, if you feel your anxiety would create issues even in less interactive fields like pharmacy, you won't be able to do medicine. The average amount of interpersonal interaction in medicine far exceeds that of pharmacists. Starting in med school, you are going to be sitting down with patients and discussing some of the most intimate aspects of their lives. You are going to be asking them about their drug habits. Whether they have sex with men, women or both. You are going to be responsible for counseling them on smoking, alcoholism, wearing seat belts. You will be counseling the 80 year old woman who looks like your grandma but just came down with a case of the clap. You are going to have to talk to teens about drug use and condoms. You will be practicing taking a good medical history on patients in front of an attending or even video camera starting in your early years of med school. You will likely have presentations. You will during your clinical years be seeing multiple patients and then presenting them in front of the attending and team during rounds every day. You may have PBL where you have to give a presentation to a small group a few times a week. Further down the road, you will have to talk to patient's families to get info and let them know that the situation is bleak, maybe even break the news that a loved one has died. You will have to call consults and give a concise description of the patient's history and explain your thought process to physicians on another service. During residency, in no matter what fields you go into, you will have daily interaction with multiple other physicians. You will be expected to give presentations to med students. You will be expected to give presentations during journal club, grand rounds, maybe even national meetings. And you will have many interviews along this road, not just to get into med school, but again for residency, fellowship, a job. So honestly, this is probably one of the most socially involved professions out there, perhaps on par with law. Either kick the anxiety, or pick a career you can do without as much interaction. Don't kid yourself with thoughts like "even pharmacy has some social interaction so I might as well do medicine". That's sort of like saying, I have to walk across the parking lot to the shopping mall anyway so I might as well park 5 miles away. There's walking and there's walking - it's really not the same at all.

My suggestion, do lots of shadowing and get a better perspective on what doctors actually do all day. Put yourself out there in the thick of it. Decide if it's something you can actually do, all day, every day. At the same time, take whatever steps you need to kick this anxiety. If you can, great, med school will always be there. If not, at least you aren't out $150k before you find out you can't do this job. And don't put an artificial timeline on yourself. If by May 2012 you have resolved your anxiety, that's great, but if it's a true disorder, it may take a whole lot longer than that. And so what -- there are folks on the nontrad board going into medicine in their 40s. Again, medicine is not going anywhere, so there's no rush. Truthfully, if you have a true severe disorder, you may be better off holed up in a lab somewhere as a scientist than getting trained to be a clinician. But take the few years it should take to try to resolve this anxiety. If you can, great. If not, at least you won't look back with regrets.

 

[n3xa]

For that, I'm no longer intimidated by other people.

That was probably the best thing I got out of my graduate degree, and I think I got a lot more than just that out of the experience

Same here. And it's also a bonus when you have a supportive PI that you can be brutally honest with about what you really want to do.

*

Presentations, like talking to people/clients/patients/whatever, takes practice. I can't tell you how many students I've seen put together their presentation at the last minute, only to end up reading from a piece of paper when they get in front of their audience. Do *at least* one run-through with a friend to sort of get an idea of what you're going to say and see how you present yourself. Do this until you know yourself enough to figure out when you need the extra practice or when you can just wing it.

I remember my first undergraduate presentation ten years? ago?. It was horrible. As soon as I joined the group my PI took for Europe for the summer, leaving me with a really nice post-doc that didn't speak a lick of English. I had no idea what I was doing in lab and it showed when I presented in the fall. I stuttered the entire time. I couldn't even answer a basic question about my project.

This past year at a conference I ended up doing a chalk talk due to a media glitch... about BPH. Penises really are hard to draw!

I also initially went into bench research as an undergrad because I liked the not having to deal with people's **** aspect of lab. It wasn't until later down the line in life that my priorities shifted.

So, take your time like law2doc said. Medicine isn't going anywhere and neither is your undergraduate gpa.

 

[styphon]

Such healthy and positive advice!

I also suffer from general/social anxiety and still do as an intern entering 2nd yr of residency. It was to the point that I was unable to talk over speaker/microphone/drive-thru's until I was 21.

So here is where I differ: My plan was to make up for my lack of social skills by applying to multiple medical schools and building a strong application. I had strong letters of recommendations from the small (read: Socially managable for me) research labs I worked at, and voluntered at the same places for years as getting to be familar with a place makes me more at ease. I did this because I know my weakest part is interviewing: I fidget, stutter, forget what I was saying, become easily side tracked. The point: Using a "shot-gun" stragedy of applying to medical schools will help limit the negative impact of social anxiety on your overall chances of getting in.

 

[Eric01]

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[jchap]

I have social anxiety disorder for about 3 years which has gradually worsened leading to other problems such as low self-esteem and inferiority complex.

[...]

by May 2012, I should have overcome social anxiety disorder

I absolutely believe that you can gradually gain a hold on your SAD, but I think you should be careful about setting rigid deadlines like this. Overcoming an anxiety disorder is not a binary thing, where you either have it or you're over it. Rather, it's a graded process, and many social disorders are present, to some degree, for most of the person's life.

I am not trying to sound doubtful, I'm just trying to make sure you don't set yourself up for disappointment. When next May approaches, you're going to face the added stress of having promised yourself that you'd be fully healed by now. That won't help.

Maybe a more productive mindset would be, "by May 2012, I hope to have made a lot of progress toward dealing with my social anxiety disorder."

It's great to be ambitious, but you should also do yourself a favor and be realistic with stuff like this. A little at a time, yo!

If you take only one piece of psychosocial advice from this forum, it should be to seek psychosocial advice outside this forum.

Talk with a professional.

And good luck to you!

 

[Lccjblu]

I too have had social anxiety disorder. So I want to make this post as informative as possible.

Off topic, but do you also happen to have lightheadedness issues? Patients with serotonin/dopamine disorders are prone to another condition which I also found treatment for.

By lighteheadedness do you mean just feeling faint/dizzy sometimes (for a couple seconds) after, say, you stand up after sitting for a while?

 

[Eric01]

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[bajastapler]

i think this thread would benefit a lot from a lecture or two on the social construction of medical knowledge

*on a serious note though OP, best of luck to you

 

[Eric01]

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http://www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum/f30/my-nardil-experience-125307/

 

[FBI2011]

I also suffer from social anxiety and it can be very easy to think that you are the only one being tormented by these feelings on a daily basis. However this is a thread I will continually go back to when ever I feel as if I am the only one. I've learned to manage social anxiety by continually exposing myself to social situations that I know will make me feel uncomfortable, going against what my brain is telling me is dangerous. I would suggest that you become more social around people you can trust such as a family member, and then gradually begin to socialize with people outside your circle. It's amazing how your perception on the world begins to change, and this is when your self-confidence begins to grow. I wish you the best and never give up on your dream on becoming a doctor.

 

[cpcc]

inderal, or stick with the pathologists.

 

[alexandertg6]

these posts were incredibly long so I didnt read all of them.. but a little behavior therapy advice might be beneficial, so Im going to try to give you some useful advice. No matter what you end up doing, having the ability to interact with people is going to be beneficial.... and for that you need confidence. Here are a few places to start. You will learn the pliability of these rules, but its a good place to start. I copied and pasted this from another post, but it mostly does apply to your situation as well.

1. Look good. When you look good you are going to be more likeable and therefore more confident which makes you less anxious and worried about screwing up. You dont have to be a good-looking person, but you do have to be clean, well-kept, and dress well. A nice solid (black, white, navy blue etc) button up, jeans that fit, and a belt will get you far day to day. People tend to judge whether or not they like you within the first 5 seconds or so of meeting you, and once that judgement is made, it's very hard to reverse.

2. Be kind (and friendly) to everyone. Unless they are totally repulsive human beings, they will have friends you may end up friends with. Its called social networking for a reason. If youre talking to them and a friend of theirs walks up, just give a "Hi, I'm Alex" and extend a hand for a firm handshake and a smile. Now you have met that person and that is a great segue to point 3

3. Be funny. Make jokes that are not extremely polarizing (extremely vulgar, racist etc) and make sure to not try too hard. Its all about how you say it and NOT TRYING TOO HARD. This one comes with practice... so practice lol

4. Avoid parties for now. It takes a very particularly socially skilled person to show up to a party where he knows 3-4 people and not come off as either creepy guy in the corner or drunk guy being obnoxious or just plain weird. If you want to go to a party, pregame with a group of girls. There can be other guys, but there should be some girls who you are on good terms with. Then you can go to the party, and if no one is talking to you, go talk to one of the girls you came with and the creepy persona is gone. Assuming you arent going to be creepy with the girls you brought............

5. Treat people as gender neutral. By this, I mean just treat guys and girls as human beings. Dont try to act macho when you meet a guy, and dont look at the girl you just met as a piece of ***. If you want to flirt with her, the best beginner way is a mild compliment that she will find sweet.. something like "you have a cute laugh". An intermediate flirt would be OBVIOUSLY jokingly make fun of her for something, usually something she said. For example "OH so NOW you listen to me". A more advanced approach would be complementing her in a way that involves touching her. Of course dont start out doing this because it can go very wrong very fast. A good way is something like taking her hand (if it is in a position that lends itself to this... like on a table or holding a cup with both hands etc) and examining a ring "I like that ring... it looks antique russian. Is there a story behind it?". When you stop looking at the ring, let go, and FFS make it look natural. This leads to my final point.

6. Be confident. If you arent, fake it till you make it. Keep your head up and chest out when you walk, and keep eye contact when you speak or are spoken to. This is uncomfortable for anyone at first, but after a while it becomes totally natural. Plus there are few things anyone regardless of gender finds more attractive.


The bottom line here is that from reading the Original Post, it sounds like a little confidence and behavior therapy might go a long way... and these are a few places to start building a confidence and social ability that will spill over into every interpersonal interaction you have. As for pharmaceutical therapy just be wary that this is the pre-med SDN forum, so dont take any pharmaceutical advice on here too seriously. Good luck.

 

[Eric01]

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[Sesom]

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First of all, I find it very rude to question why a person wants to become a doctor based off of having social anxiety disorder. A person wants to become a doctor to help their patients and believes in their scientific knowledge and wisdom to do that. In the field of medicine the ability to socialize will always be secondary to that. Indeed, people good at socializing but not science are called lawyers.

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</p>
I agree with this, just because some of you might be good at making friends and making the initial plunge into your EC doesn't mean you would be a superior doctor to this person or vice versa. Plus, some of the premeds in my classes really need to learn when to keep their mouth shut.