I’d Rather Die Than Go To School

By Jennifer Shannon, LMFT, author of The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook for Teens, The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens, and Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind

I will never forget the morning I pulled the covers off my daughter, telling her in my firmest voice that she had to get out of bed NOW. From the beginning of sixth grade it had been a struggle, but with a firm hand, I was able to get Rose out of bed and off to school. But this morning we’d hit a wall. She looked at me with genuine dread. “Mom,” she said, “I would rather die than go to school.”

My beautiful daughter had developed severe social anxiety disorder. On her “good” days at school, she survived by avoiding social interactions, often hiding in the bathroom during recess and lunch breaks. On her worst days, she had full-blown panic attacks and went to the office complaining of stomach aches and asking to be sent home. While there was nothing physically wrong with her, I knew her distress was real. And as a parent, I was suffering too.   Read More…