Are you behind for your age?

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Is anyone else behind for their age? I done well in school and managed to cope with the work load reasonably well. But because of bullying, I had clincal depression and social anxiety, and had to attend a psychiatric day hospital for 2 years instead of going to university. When I was well enough to finally attend university, I still experienced severe panic attacks, etc and had to repeat some years because of it. I'm now still trying to get my degree, which will take another few years as I'm doing it part-time. It seems most people my age have gotten their degree, plus maybe even a post-grad degree, and are now working in a "proper" job. Sometimes it makes me feel bad that I'm behind, but I suppose it's not really my fault, and I have experienced difficulties that these people may never have faced. I worry that people might think it's because i'm too stupid to do well at university, when in fact I have done really well so far. The only thing holding me back is my anxiety and depression.

So has anyone else experienced difficulties that has held them behind? Not necessarily at university or whatever, just in general.

This thread http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt150276.html made me think about posting this, but I didn't want to hijack their thread.

I do not participate in many activities that other 21-year-old people participate in. I do not attend bars or clubs, nor am I a student.

I do regret dropping out of college. My social life in school pretty much ended after my 2nd year and a messy breakup with my boyfriend, and I felt that life could give me a better education than the public education system ever could. I was right in some aspects, though life-school has taught me more about what I don't know than what I want to learn.

I did very well with school work but participating in class was very difficult. I often know what I'd like to say in discussion but think either too quickly or too slowly (as in, I start by defining a very broad concept and work into the details from there, rather than starting in the small details like many debates require) to contribute to conversation. I could churn out grade-A papers but had little motivation to attend class.

I think this was due to my social deficiencies. People tend to quit when they reach the lowest threshold of their abilities. Much like in a garden, balance is key. If soil is deficient in nitrogen but bountiful in other nutrients, the plants will still suffer due to lack of nitrogen. If you are deficient in B-vitamin but take all your other vitamins, your health will suffer. Excess in one area does not necessarily compensate for insufficiency in other areas.

That being said, I feel at home with others who are socially stunted, so I feel I ought to seek those people out, and that means returning to university, both to be around like-minded individuals and to strengthen my ability to socialize intelligently.

Academically I'm in good shape. In every other area I am way, way behnd. I have the social skills of a young teen, but I'm 49.

Yeah, I am. I've experienced everything a 29 year old guy usually does, but it took me later and I had to work harder to achieve it. Also, most people get their bachelor's at four to six years after high school, and I didn't get it till 27. Also, most people have more white collar work experience at my age, but a lot of my jobs were menial labor, or entry level positions. Sometimes I lack common knowledge that most people my age have. Socially, I feel like I'm in my early to mid 20s.

Well, I'm 23, and I don't really act 23. I have a hard time believing I'm 23. When people ask me how old I am, I have to remember, because I'm about to say 11, or something.