u/Filthov

I've (17m) had severe social anxiety for my entire life, to the point where I can't even talk to my own family without having a panic attack. I've seen several therapists about it, but for some reason, it's always presumed that my social anxiety stems from a fear of being judged and/or embarassed. Thing is, I have no idea why I freak out.

When I'm around people, I just go into blind panic. I'm not worried about what they think of me or whatnot, my body is just going into meltdown. I'm constantly sweaty, my heart's racing and I just blurt out the first words that come to me- because I literally can't think, let alone worry about what people are thinking.

Anyone else deal with anything similar?

I've (17m) struggled with severe social anxiety for my whole life- to the point where I can't even talk to my family without having a panic attack. I finally decided enough was enough and decided to get medicated. My GP has prescribed me SSRI, so, is there anything I should know before I start?

This shouldn't be a hot take, it really shouldn't. But as a Doberman owner, it's pretty topical- and somehow controversial. For those unaware, tail docking refers to the surgical removal of a dog's tail. Ear cropping refers to the partial removal of a dog's external ear flaps to make them stand erect.

As I mentioned, I own a beautiful Doberman called Willow. Owned another before, but she passed away two years ago. When people picture a doberman, they'll usually think of them with cropped ears and a docked tail. Hell, when you look up "doberman" in any search engine, that's all you see. You literally have to manually type "uncropped natural doberman" to see a normal dog. When I share pictures of Willow, some people are shocked- because they are so used to seeing a mutilated doberman, they don't know what a loved one looks like.

Many argue that ear cropping is necessary to prevent ear infections. To that I say; CLEAN YOUR DOG. The only somewhat reasonable excuse would apply to tail docking; since Doberman are quite prone to happy tail. Fine, whatever. But that's not why people do it. These mutilations are done for nothing but cosmetics.

If you don't like what a dog looks like in its natural form, don't get the damn dog. If you choose to crop/dock your dog, you are a disgusting abuser and you shouldn't own animals. End of story.

Image 1: Natural Dobie ( Willow )
Image 2: Cropped Dobie for e.g.

https://preview.redd.it/0c3hkcbul0yg1.jpg?width=649&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b300edde23b4638187a425a5a5b5cbe16ae752e

https://preview.redd.it/vgi83rgyl0yg1.jpg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=732d788efbb5a27562243e60e470e45393e829c6