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All right now: Steve Light battled with Social Anxiety Disorder for years |
‘I was so worried I just stayed at home’
Social Anxiety Disorder affects one in ten of us – but it can be overcome
STEVE Light was a shy boy at school who struggled to mingle even with his mates.
In conversation he would often break out in sweats, start shaking, stammering and blushing – but he put his extreme nervousness down to teenage hormones.
Little did he know he was fighting a common but debilitating phobia called Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), that affects one in ten of us.
Now 26, he said: “I had always been shy. The thought of speaking in front of a group had me petrified. At one point I just ran out of the class and hid on my own.”
After leaving school, Mr Light’s life was overshadowed by a dark cloud of despair. While studying at London Metropolitan University, he found he could barely talk on the phone, let alone perform simple tasks such as shopping for food, things that people normally take for granted.
He said: “I was so worried about what I would say to people I just stayed indoors – I was terrified by the thought of going to work.
“I had office skills, but I couldn’t bring myself get a job in the office.”
Mr Light was diagnosed with SAD aged 20, but it took him six years to tell anyone about it.
The condition is best treated by psychotherapist using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), where the mind is “re-programmed” with positive thoughts.
In the end Mr Light took the plunge and agreed to attend a self-help group in the Crowndale Centre in Eversholt Street, Mornington Crescent.
He said: “That group was the best thing I have ever done. It gave me confidence and I started writing my own diary. I did it for four months. Up until then I hadn’t told my parents – it allowed me to let things out.”
Mr Light has overcome the condition and is now campaigning to raise awareness about SAD.
He organised an event at Westminster Academy in Paddington on Saturday for sufferers and was invited to share his experiences for the BBC Headroom campaign for mental illness.
Last week he interviewed television celebrity Ruby Wax about her experience of depression. He said: “I would never have been able to talk to someone like Ruby before.
“She seemed warm and caring, nothing like she seems on TV.”
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Specialist eye tests for toddlers
TODDLERS can get free NHS eye tests at an opticians in King’s Cross, writes Tom Foot.
One in 10 pre-school children can suffer from visual impairment, but tests are rarely carried out, according to specialists at Zacks Kings Cross Eye Clinic in Pentonville Road.
Clinical director Jonathan Cohen said: “Unlike hearing tests, there are no regular checks on children’s eye health. Yet if left undetected, visual problems such as refractive errors, occurring during critical periods of development before the age of 10, may result in permanently impaired vision.”
He added: “Most high street opticians cannot and will not see children until they reach school age because they don’t have the confidence, or equipment.”
Basic eye examinations can be carried out from birth to check the eyes appear healthy and to rule out rare tumours. The clinic is recommending more thorough checks on children after 18 months. |
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