How Social Anxiety Relates to Other Mental Illnesses

Social anxiety is just one form of anxiety, and not only can it relate to other forms of 
anxiety, but other mental illnesses as well. Having a mental illness does not make you 
weak, but it does make you vulnerable to avoidance and many other issues in your life. 
Take a look at how your social anxiety might be related to other mental illnesses, and 
what you can do about it.

It Often Accompanies Other Anxiety Disorders

One of the ways social anxiety related to other mental illnesses is the fact that it is often 
not the only type of anxiety disorder you can have. You might have social phobias in 
addition to generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), or possibly have panic attack disorder 
heightened by your social anxiety. This is why it is good to get professional help for 
treatment, at least in the beginning, so you can narrow down what forms of anxiety you 
have and treat each of them properly.

You Start a Habit of Avoidance

Avoidance is something that accompanies many different types of mental health 
disorders. This is when because of that mental illness, you start to avoid people or 
situations in your life. You might skip important work meetings or job interviews, avoid 
groups of people, and stop hanging out with friends or family. This unfortunately 
provides a link between anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses you might be 
experiencing.

It Affects Your Personal and Professional Life

Both your personal and professional life can also be greatly affected, not just by social 
anxiety, but other mental illnesses as well. This includes not making or keeping your 
friends and having difficulty with new relationships, to not being able to advance at your 
current job because you are too afraid to step it up and talk about a possible promotion. 
This is why it is so vital that you work hard to identify all of your mental illnesses and 
seek out treatment.

There Are Similar Treatment Options

You will also notice another link, which is that many mental illnesses will have similar 
treatment options. They are not all identical, but many treatments help not just your 
depression, but your stress and social anxiety as well. These include certain 
medications, changing your diet, exercising, getting better sleep, journaling, and seeing 
a therapist. If you can find a treatment that works for multiple mental health issues, you 
will start to improve your life more sufficiently. 



