social anxiety

[terrapin314]

I suffered from Social Anxiety for many years - since I was a teenager until now (33). I experienced what the OP experienced - a worsening of symptoms the older that I became. On my days off of work, I would usually not answer the phone or the door and was basically a shut-in. I finally had an epiphany that the disorder was really affecting my life in a negative way. I had became a person that I did not like. It was after I took a new job where I was working with new people weekly and giving presentations, that I fully acknowledged the problem and how it was keeping me back.

After seeing my MD, I started taking Lexapro. This was several months ago. It has had a great effect on my life and allowed me to live without being weighed down by so much anxiety, most of it social.

Go see your doctor and get evaluated. It might be the best decision you make.