Could i have a social disorder, or asperger's?

i know for a fact i have social anxiety, as i'm afraid to go most places on my own. i don't really use a phone either, as i don't like to talk to people on the phone, even those i know well. i ran xc and track in high school and have a few friends from them, but those are my only friends. i just finished my 1st year of college and didn't make one friend, and when the xc team at college bothered me about not running w/ their team (when i can't b/c i have other health problems to worry about), i get really shaky and start throwing up in my mouth for a couple hours at a time. i don't talk to people i don't know unless i have to, but to me it's simply shyness. this has been going on since kindergarten, except i had more friends in elementary school than now. also, i'm used to being by myself and i like it that way. my parents and i refuse to believe i have any disorders, since i'm not stupid, but is it possible? i think it's just shyness and lack of self esteem, but im not sure. thanks.

hey, thanks for the answers thus far... i realize that smart people have many disorders, but a lot of them like straight up autism (not including aspergers') don't affect smarter people, i guess by smart i meant capable of making friends. but the thing is i have no will to, not interested in any clubs at school, or meeting new people. i would think that if i would want to meet people but haven't beem that would be more of a shyness thing, but i feel it's too much effort for me to even make, as i am not interested either. even the couple friends i have, i'm not interested in seeing them but 1-2 times a month, max.

Some simple questions I would want to ask first before making any assumptions at all are the following:

what keeps you from wanting to socialize with others?
do you have any unresolved fears?

you state that you and your parents refuse to believe you have any disorders, is this because of personal or religious beliefs or because you just do not want to have a label which may or may not come with social stigma's associated with a label of any sort of mental health condition.

I am a Christian woman who does not believe in many of the major mental ailments as I believe most of them to be spiritual weaknesses in people and that most people who cling to them are in need of working on their relationship with their creator(GOD) and accepting the atonement and salvation that is available to them.

I also have a special needs daughter who has been diagnosed by man as having certain conditions, and kept from me because I want to see her progress in life without the medicines that keep her having the "symptoms". I want her to have a full life.

I would love to help you to see what direction you may need to take in your life. I am not saying I have all the answers, but I know from personal experience that when I was mis-diagnosed as being bi-polar (I went for 3 additional opinions of which the other doctors all agreed I was mis-diagnosed, and that I was simply suffering a nervous breakdown due to lack of support in caring for my daughter by myself 24/7 for 10 mos without a break)

There are many things you can do for yourself to help with your situation. Do you have any hobbies which you enjoy?

Go for a walk once a week to a local park. Sit on a bench and just enjoy being outside. Do this for a few weeks until you are comfortable just being outside.

I have several other suggestions for you but do not want to appear long winded. I wish you the best and will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. I will also check back to see any other suggestions that might be given to you. Feel free to contact me on ym if you want some of the other suggestions.

You may have aspergers, the link below gives one definition. Or you may simply have social anxiety. If it is social anxiety, it is treatable with lexapro and "talk therapy."

I am a bit concerned why you write "my parents and i refuse to believe i have any disorders, since i'm not stupid." Mental disorders can happen to all people; having a mental disorder is not an indication of stupidity. You might spend some time on the group and read the problems people have; you will realize they are all people of intelligence.

"

I dont think you have aspergers. I work with autistic and asperger children and you do not fit the description. I think it is just social anxiety/shyness. Y dont you try to join a club at school to break out of your shyness?

I see what's your problem - hypershyness disorder (don't bother to search about it)

Symptoms :
- social phobia
- feeling unsafe when have to go somewhere on your own
- thinking you are lame
- thinking everyone else is cool
- searching about social disorders in the internet

Cures:

Dude. There's nothing wrong with you. Hypershyness disorder is fake. Total fake. I don't believe in asperger's , social phobia whatsoever. Go out there. be yourself. Do whatever you want, don't bother about other people. Have a good life.

I think you don't have Asperger's, but you didn't quite give enough detailed information. One thing that's common among people with Asperger's is oversensitivity to physical stimuli, such as noise, lights, smells, etc. A lot of Aspies complain about fluorescent lights, for example, or about all the people that wear perfumes. They'll literally get headaches from them. Others might have a really hard time finding clothing that doesn't feel horrible to them, or they'll feel the labels in their clothes all the time. Also, Aspies have a hard time figuring out social clues... they might be told they were rude or such and not have a clue why whereas it's obvious to everyone else, or they might ramble on about something that interests them and totally miss the fact that the person they're rambling to has lost interest half an hour ago.

I'm unclear as to whether you really don't care to have more friends or just feel incapable of getting more friends. See, the latter can cause you to tell yourself that you don't really care, even though you actually do. I'm like that often enough myself. Someone mentioned Lexapro, which I've tried and didn't do *anything* for me. Perhaps I should've tried a higher dose, but anyway, according to my husband Paxil is a much better choice and probably cheaper because it's older. I'm currently pregnant so I can't try it, but recently I've kinda been wanting to give Paxil a try, so I might after the baby is born.

Anyway, it seems like this bothers you, so go talk to a psychologist. At most universities you can go see one for free, and if you can't, just ask your advisor whether he/she knows where you can go see one for cheap. You can discuss whether you want to try meds with your psychologist, and if you decide you do you can go see a psychiatrist to get them prescribed. Some GPs prescribe them too, but it's not their area of expertise so I recommend using a psychiatrist. When it comes to counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy is good.

Good luck. :)

well, that sounds more like social anxiety and not really like asperger's. meng gave some good information. three tests which can help you evaluate if you have asperger's before paying tons for a doctor are http://glennrowe.net/BaronCohen/Systemiz... , http://glennrowe.net/BaronCohen/EmpathyQ... , and http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/... (the ASQ test at glennrowe.net will give you an incorrect score).