Question:
My high anxiety disorder has now cost my my speech problems...?
i have suffered with high GAD disorder and social phobia for many years.. i speak english and spanish.. and now since the last 8 months or so,, i cant speak properly in english,, it doesnt happen when i speak spanish. when ever i speak english now i get a terrible stutter,, stummer and all my words get totally twisted and like my mouth is frozen and i get like a lisp affect from trying to talk and also i am so nervous that i dont talk now as this happens as soon as i open my mouth even talking to myself. its got so bad that i barely talk now in english but when i speak in spanish it doesnt happen , i get stutter but nothing as bad as when i speak in english that my speech totally messes up and cant say nothing., i feel really suicidal as im in a english speaking country and now this has happend to me. i am so desperate to reverse this as i never used to have this problem, my anxiety has got alot worse since the last year and i am always nervous and have alot of problems going on at the moment but i just dont get why it only happens in one language and the other it doesnt happen, will a psychologist be able to help me with this , as now i have lost all my friends as im so scared to talk as i sound like a retard as i never had this problem it makes me so depressed and suicidal that i cant talk properly now. please help me and tell me if a psychologist might be able to work on my subconcious mind to get my speech back on track :(
Answers:
It's not really a psychologist you need, it's medication from your local GP. I suffered with social anxiety for years & wouldn't read aloud in public or do anything in public, including eating. The way to get some relief from this is to tell your doctor about your problems. They may prescribe a mild anti-depressant which will help with the anxiety. They may also refer you to a counselor if they think it necessary, just to have someone else who understands to talk to & talk things through with. Being put on a mild anti-depressant may seem like a scary prospect but I have found it very helpful. It may take a month or so for your body to get used to the drug, so you may experience some side effects at first, but stick with it. The side effects do wear off! Also, you will begin to feel better.