Ask Jonathan

Do Nervous Habits Like Bouncing A Leg Occur With Social Anxiety Disorder?

Asked By: Anonymous     Views: 2,503 times

I'm a sixteen year old junior in high school. I've been diagnosed with depression, anxiety dissorder, IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), and various other nervous habits. I've been looking into my joints tendancy to snap, crackle, and pop at odd moments even when I've been moving around a lot as well as my excesive tiredness after coming home from school. I don't do any sports or straining activities. I do tend to read a lot though and spend no more than five minutes in one position when sitting or laying down with my books. So, from that I am guessing that my joints "sounds" aren't being caused by lack of movement as I never stay still. So, I thought they might be caused by tense muscles so I looked that up and found that tense muscles can be caused by repressed emotions, social anxiety, stress, and the like. I know already that I suffer from most of the causes of tense muscles, but I wanted to know if I suffered from a mild form of SAD as most of the descriptors fit me. I'm quite socially inept around people my own age, my nervous habits go into overdrive when I'm not in my own head or reading whilst in public, I litteraly can't speak publicly (I'm in a Speech and Debate class and when I go up to present I always burst into a hysterical fit of laughter and cannot stop), I spend the majority of my time reading to the point of being unable to tear myself from the book until I fall asleep, and various other parts of it. However, many of them have seemed to manifest mildly in me. Maybe it's just introversion, but I'd rather not self-diagnose even though I probably already have.

You express yourself very well. Your insight seems quite good for an individual your age, especially your reference to "repressed emotions". There are many self-diagnostic profiles and assessment tools available for you; including my book "Beyond Shyness", as well as others. When you say "just intorversion" be clear on the degree of this dynamic. The depression-anxiety-IBS syndrome is more than just "mild".

The following is part of a collection of questions and sharing by our readership community about a wide variety of aspects of social anxiety. Dive in and receive practical insights and advice. If you have a question that is not included you can contact Jonathan at jberent@socialanxiety.com.

Relating to these Area of Concerns

Berent Associates, 10 Bond St., #371, Great Neck, NY 11021
Tel: (516) 872-9383, Fax: (516) 487-7414, E-mail: jberent@socialanxiety.com

Privacy Statement: All information collected from this website, including E-mail addresses, mailing addresses and personal
information, will not be shared or sold. Any information collected through this site will be used by Berent Associates only.