Trivium's Matt Heafy Opens Up About Social Anxiety Disorder

(Metal Hammer) Trivium vocalist and guitarist Matt Heafy has opened up on his battle with social anxiety disorder. Heafy experienced the phobia in the band's early days due to having severe acne, and recalls that meeting fans and doing magazine shoots caused him to "freak out."

Speaking to the You Rock Foundation, a music charity which seeks to raise awareness about mental health issues, Heafy says: "When we first started touring I used to have social anxiety disorder. It's not clinically diagnosed but I knew that any time I would go out and meet fans I would freak out.

"At that time as well, I had really terrible acne, so when our band was first blowing up in the UK, we would always have fans who wanted to meet us and magazines who wanted to take pictures - and I didn't want to do it. Not because I was trying to be egotistical, it's that I didn't want to be seen. I was afraid to talk to people and afraid to be in groups.

Heafy says he managed to overcome the disorder thanks to support from his wife, family and friends. And he offers advice to those who face similar problems on a daily basis. Read more here.

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