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899491 tn?1243773627

Social Anxiety

Is it possible to have social anxiety with bp?  I don't do the spending sprees or have extramartial affairs but I certainly feel paranoia. I start withdrawing after my manic episode. It all starts with not feeling comfortable around people and I feel highly irritable....it feels like I want to jump out of my skin. I have trouble speaking too. I would get sentences all mixed up or start stammering away when I have to talk to someone. I start to withdraw into my little world. It was frightening at times. Anyone with a similar experience?
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899491 tn?1243773627
I also get OCD. During my college days I would avoid the dirty toliets in school. I was afraid of catching something. During my navy days I would avoid dependent babies because I felt I would hurt them physically. I felt so bad about these feelings that I wanted to take my hand and smash it inside a draw. Weird feelings. Then I had to deal with the paranoia. I was tight as a knot. I was very self conscious about sex and I was very frigid because I was afraid of picking up some diease.

Then those feelings went away. I was constantly aggitated all the time until I got treatment for my bp.  Then I had my recent episode back in March 2009. It was the first time I was reawaken to my old demons. My state was mixed. I had my social anxiety, OCD & paranoia too. I couldn't put a sentence together....I was tongue tied. It was like my brain was disconnected from my mouth. I would also worry about saying the wrong thing and get people angry with me. I couldn't be around people they made me feel uneasy & I was afraid I would hurt them in some way. It was over vigilance on behaving properly around others...it was obsessive. Then I starting hoarding. With the economic down turn I started hoarding food and became a real tightwad with my money which is not a bad thing but I was obsessed by it.

I didn't have the classic symptoms of mania but I became very euphoric & over confident then it just went down hill after that with all the things I described above. Now I'm discovering it was my illness making me feel that way. It's been hard returning to work because I feel awkward being exposed or fear losing control again.  But after going to a social worker I'm starting to regain my confidence.

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1242551 tn?1290674957
Social anxiety with bipolar does seem to be pretty common. I have bipolar II and have real problems going out anywhere on my own. It always helps if I'm with somebody. It's definatley not agoraphobia, it's the people that are the problem. I also have a fear of appointments, or being late. I can come across as being very confident and outgoing, funny and entertaining etc in social situations....but that's not how I'm actually feeling inside. I'm always happy to get home again...back to my safe little world.
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Avatar universal
Haha I had something similar happen where this person was holding a bunch of gloves and I stuck my hand out for a pair and they started laughing and said "Use your words, *insertmynamehere*!"
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Avatar universal
I'm supposedly bipolar II and I have a lot of social anxiety. I avoid going out and never go out by myself. I don't drive. I fear rejection and judgement, so just being seen by other people upsets me. I hate when people enter my little world too. I always thought that social anxiety came hand in hand with depression or people with social anxiety are more likely to be depressed/bipolar.

Heh, I make noises to communicate too and my boyfriend always says, "We use our words!"
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Avatar universal
Yes I believe it is possible to have both at the same time.  It's possible you have both, but depression can cause you to want to isolate yourself and be irritable and have a brain fog, as far as I know.
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1416835 tn?1295811283
Yeah I get something similar but not as bad.  I'm bipolar II so I don't get manic, but I do have episodes where I withdraw and I feel irritable if people intrude on my little world. I'll get anxious about leaving my room too, even to go to meals (I live in a residential university college).  And I don't like to speak in words, I'll make noises to communicate instead.  Which annoys people sometimes.  
Mine doesn't get too bad, it's just the depression that usually comes with it that I don't like.  If you're withdrawn in your own little space, no one can stop you from killing yourself.  
Good luck and keep going :-)
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