Sorry if the question seems vague, i’ll try to provide context
I should add I’m in the USA as well
I’m 20, I’ve been struggling with anxiety-symptoms since my early teenage years. I brought it up to my doctor a couple of times in my early teens and they brushed it off and nothing came of it. Since then, it’s only gotten worse. I won’t go super deep on my experiences since that’s not the point of the post, but I feel that it has just continued to affect my life more and more as I get older. I struggle especially in social situations, which has pretty much prevented me from making any friends since i’ve started college. I feel like i’ve missed out on the high school and college experiences completely due to this and it continues to affect me academically and emotionally.
I haven’t followed with a primary care doctor since I was 17, mainly due to anxiety. I’ve thought about getting help in the past, but every time I’ve either just gotten too anxious to make any steps or I convinced myself that whatever’s going on with me is just how I am and that there’s no point in going to a doctor about it.
I guess at this point I just don’t even know how I would go about trying to get help. Do I find a new primary care doctor and bring up my concerns and have them refer me somewhere? Do I find my own mental health provider? I just have no idea where I even start from my current position. I feel like there’s just so much mentally holding me back but I’ve gotten motivation to get help recently but I just don’t know how.
I hope my post makes sense, sorry if it seems like a simple question I just genuinely don’t know