Item number 19

Yes indeed. With my future now uncertain it did occur to me that in less than a year I may or may not have medical insurance, but either way this is certainly the last time I will be able to go to the doctor as many times as I want and not pay a single penny. My point being, If there was ever a time to seek medical help for my social anxiety this was certainly it.


I called the doctor and made an appointment to talk about "anxiety."


When I got there he had me fill out a questionnaire to determine whether or not I was "depressed." Personally I think if I was depressed I would have said I wanted an appointment to talk about "depression". But maybe that's just me.


Dr Witt was his name. He's not the doctor I am officially assigned to. Whom by the way I have never actually met, but happens to be busy every single time I make an appointment. Not a real big loss. When I checked in to the command they had me pick a doctor from a book. I picked a lady who was smiling in her photo, because I hoped that meant she would be nice to me when I went to see her. Apparently many other people were thinking the same thing, which explains why she is always too busy to see me.


Poor Doctor Witt is not nearly so photogenic.


Anyway, as it turns out, usually people who come in complaining about anxiety actually in fact are also depressed, so they are immediately prescribed anti-depressants and sent on their merry way. (Merry is perhaps the wrong word) But people who are anxious and not depressed, are complicated cases that need referred to a psychiatrist. Put simply, having less problems is harder to treat. So after making me promise I wouldn't kill myself, Dr Witt gave me a referral and that was that.


So, while I'm still waiting to find out if there is a cure for shyness in medicine, at least I have officially completed Item number 19 from my list of 30 things to do before I turn 30.


2 down, 28 more to go. Stay tuned everyone! (I am sure you are all on the edge of your seats.)