I Was Told I Was Shy — But I Had Social Anxiety Disorder

July is Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.As told to Jacquelyne FroeberSocial gatherings were a nightmare for me.Walking into any event, big or small, it felt like all eyes were on me. Focused. Like I was a specimen under a microscope and everyone was watching — judging — waiting for me to embarrass myself. The fear of rejection ruled my world. As a child, I never wanted to say the wrong thing, so I didn’t talk a lot. When I did, I’d run the conversation back over and over in my head until I’d convinced myself that I’d messed everything up and no one liked me....

3 weeks ago  •  On HALO