Oh gosh, I just saw I forgot to reply to your questions. Sorry about that! Grad school got in the way. Anyway, I don't mind answering your questions publicly. 1.) I think the origin of my anxiety issues stems from a lot of things. I was always shy and timid as a kid. I used to play the violin, so doing a live performance terrified me. As a kid I also moved around schools a lot. In high school I was bullied by my roommate (a tiny boarding school of 250 student), so that probably contributed. Then in college I was in for a culture shock when I was suddenly allowed to do anything I wanted. But I pulled myself inward because I went from a school of 250 to 5000. 2.) Stuttering is one of the thing that triggers my anxiety. For a long time I was very self conscious about my stutter, so I never really spoke to people. Eventually I was comfortable speaking with my male friends (I'm male) by the time I was a 6th grader. But it wasn't until my junior year in high school where I was comfortable talking to girls. 3.) The SSRI's are working out great. I've been on them for a while now. They help in reducing my anxiety. 4.) My stutter improved the more public speaking I did. It's still there. But I hardly notice it. I know I will have the stutter for the rest of my life, so I'm fine with it never going away. I accepted this fact, and it has helped me move forward.