Jaelyn Kateches
Mercyhigh school
January 30, 2010
Stigma Project
Stigmas dealing with Social Anxiety Disorder
Her parents thought she was a shy girl. Her peers thought that she might be crazy. She was
suffering from is Social Anxiety disorder. She would exclude herself from her classmates and people
around her. Being a social outcast was a personality that people portrayed her to be. Her name is Rose,
and social anxiety disorder was her life. Her disease took over her social life and coping skills with
others. Continuously thinking that she would be rejected from the cliques in her school. No one truly
understood Rose except for her mother. Rose’s mother, Anne dealt with this disorder while growing up.
The constant fear of people mocking her with high pitched laughter would haunt her mind.
Her classmates did not understand why she would act this way. When Rose had to present a
school project one day, she froze up and ran out of the room. No one was making fun of her until she left
the room. Always trying to come over this fear, was a nightmare for Rose. Her father thought it would be
best to put Rose in therapy to try to break out of her shell. No treatment that they tried worked for her.
For years now she deals with this anxiety disorder that she believes is incurable.
Being scared all the time, the social anxiety disorder was non curable in her case. After spending
some time at home for homeschooling, she began to get bored with life. She decided to go back to school
and try dealing with her anxiety head on. Taking special courses in her school helped her get used to
other people, started to make a difference with her disorder. After a year of being in these special courses
her symptoms of the disorder began to fade away. Many years later she is coping with her disorder. Still
having some signs of social anxiety, she can still socialize and make a life for herself.