Severe anxiety in daily situations (and paranoia?)

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I have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. I believe it should have been social anxiety disorder, but regardless - it has crippled my ability to succeed in attaining any semblance of a social life. It has also hindered my academic performance and led to crippling depression at the worst of times.

In regards to social anxiety issues, I remember hiding in elementary school washrooms during recess because I was always alone. It wasn't that I was always bullied, but rather I found an overwhelming solace in being all by myself in a quiet enclosed space. It gave me time to breathe. I would take a diary or my tamagotchi and spend each minute of recess in one of the stalls. Sometimes students would disturb me and yell at me to come out. Teachers caught me going in the washrooms on my own and ended up telling my parents, leading to grueling inquisitions with my parents and psychiatrists.

I don't think I will ever stop being this way. Medication has only helped to the point where I don't have to lock myself up in washrooms. I still experience anxiety daily - such as postponing opening my email for fear that someone will ask personal details of me, that I will have to interact with someone via social networking, or that I failed to do something - basically assuming the worst. The same goes for checking grades online.

My mother has not been told of the extent of my anxiety. She herself has a lot of anxiety, and I put off telling her about my struggles because she worries all the time. She has, however, seen my depressive episodes and seems to think they come out of nowhere. Little does she know that they arise when my anxiety hits the roof and I need to literally sleep an entire day sometimes just to recuperate.

I guess I was just wondering if anyone else has social or generalized anxiety on a daily basis.

Have you tried GABA supplementation? GABA deficiency seems to be common on the spectrum. Here is thread:

viewtopic.php?t=258410

I am sorry you feel that way. I can relate.
I was also hiding in toilet stalls in elementary school and I have anxiety checking emails, switching my phone on, leaving the house (in case I run into someone I know and they ask me questions).

I am constantly paranoid and anxious that something bad is going to happen, due to health crisis's in my family in the past few years. Nothing has happened for well over 2 years now, but it still lingers in the back of my mind.

That's a definite "yes". Not as bad as yours at school, but later on it effectively destroyed my career and led to a life of skulking round my shared house, avoiding all contact with housemates. Things are finally improving, after ten years of antidepressants and therapy, some of it more useful than others. Nowadays, I go out to do social things a few times a month, even if I don't always talk much when I'm there. This was inconceivable back then.
I'd say this is an area where you can hope to get better to some degree. It's not easy or straightforward, but it's well worth getting help with. Word of caution: when people say "This method works for everyone, without exception", they are usually wrong. I learned, slowly, that often it's really NOT me "doing it wrong".

@ OP: I too can relate. Even though I also have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, my family refuses to accept the existence of GAD, believing my anxiety attacks as an excuse of getting out of situations that "require" me to be social.

I've had rolling bouts of anxiety lately that come in waves. I have been trying to be extremely self disciplined, and don't have my usual indulgences that tend to serve as a relief like decadent food, or drinking or any kind of indulgence really. I think not having an outlet just makes anxiety build up...I will stim maybe some times, which does direct the flow of my nervous energy out ward, away from me..... but generally I've just had waves of rolling anxiety and they are so regular, that they almost feel like my new normal.

I know that it is all exacerbated by the fact that I am studying 6 days a week, and have little to no vices to blow off steam. Let me explain thee 6 days a week thing i only for the next four months. But the current and next four months are very intense, then things will slow down a lot after that.

Anyways, yeah. I can relate. Anxiety feels like my new normal sometimes, and I think I just needed to get that off of my chest.. Pheww....(Balloon letting out air noise)

Also, I'm new here. Is there a reason there is a sad ninja turtle as one of the top 20 emoticons?

@ all
Yea anxiety and especially social anxiety is common among people on the spectrum. It's not a surprise that people who struggle communicating are worried about their performance socializing.
I don't what is socially acceptable for situations so I am always asking "what should I do?" and "was that social acceptable?" I sometimes spend more time deciding what I think I should do then actually doing something.
I don't know if my behavior and speaking is liked by my peers so I have no way of knowing that I'm doing well socially so I'm either doing bad or neutral.

@ GalacticGorilla
I'm not sure about the sad ninja turtle, maybe people just think turles and ninjas are awesome.