I've had Nicki for almost ten years now (I got her Christmas 2007) and I just got around to re-reading her books, and I realized that Nicki shows a lot of signs of having a Social Anxiety Disorder (I know because I was diagnosed with it a few months back. )
mayoclinic.org states symptoms as being:
Fear of situations in which you may be judged
Worrying about embarrassing or humiliating yourself
Intense fear of interacting or talking with strangers
Fear that others will notice that you look anxious
Fear of physical symptoms that may cause you embarrassment, such as blushing, sweating, trembling or having a shaky voice
Avoiding doing things or speaking to people out of fear of embarrassment
Avoiding situations where you might be the center of attention
Having anxiety in anticipation of a feared activity or event
Enduring a social situation with intense fear or anxiety
Spending time after a social situation analyzing your performance and identifying flaws in your interactions
Expecting the worst possible consequences from a negative experience during a social situation
And I'd like to clarify that SAD isn't just general "I don't like being around people", it's a real disorder that can lead to panic attacks/breakdowns due to fear of embarrassment/interaction.
Anyway, I was wondering what you all thought of this? Do you guys think Nicki has a Social Anxiety Disorder or do you think she's just an introvert/shy?
Nicki Fleming was GOTY the year I was born -2007
AGAnimaLover1 Hmm, I think she does have it. Mia St. Clair was the GOTY when I was born.
I was born a few months before GOTY- November 2000.
designsbymaelyn cool! We're just one year apart! So we are really close in age! I am 10 which means you are 9!
americangirlstar hmmm... so you were born 7 years before me I am 10 which means you are 17 right?
americangirlstar Woah you're 17! Cool!
Yeah, I'm going to be 17 in two weeks. Super close to getting my driver's licence, too!
I would also like to mention that I read "Thanks to Nicki", and not only is it my favorite GOTY book right now, but now I'm convinced Nicki has Depression as well as Anxiety.
Most of the book after Sprocket leaves is spent dicussing how Nicki has mood swings, spends a lot of time feeling like nothing matters and having no motivation for anything, and she fits a good chunk of Symptoms, including:
Trouble concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
Fatigue
Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and helplessness
Pessimism and hopelessness
Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or sleeping too much [I think the book mentioned her waking up early a lot]
Irritability
Restlessness
Loss of interest in things once pleasurable [especially seen when she rides Jackson with her Dad]
Overeating, or appetite loss [Everytime there's a scene at lunch/dinner, Nicki doesn't eat]
Aches, pains, headaches, or cramps that won't go away [this is especially obvious, there's a scnee where she gets a stomach ache that she figues out is brought on by her missing her dog]
Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings
tl;dr My girl has so many problems please give her a dog
HELP NICKI 2K17
LETS HELP NICKI
YEAH,I agree! You go Nicki! I love her because she was GOTY when I was born and her story is really inspiring:)
Marisol is the GoTY from thew year I was born! It was almost Jess, though. I really like Nikki!
AG Arabella Marisol is one of my favorite GOTYs!:)
Arabella sameeeee
Arabella Mia is mine! Marisol is really pretty too
i personally think its good that American Girl gives them flaws so they aren't just picture perfect. But i get how you would be concerned.
#HELPNICKI
I was born in 2007 and I have an anxiety disorder and it really sucks sometimes because your brain takes something that happened that shouldn't matter then you get a panic attack for no reason