Social Anxiety Disorder
Also known as social phobia, this disorder can look like an individual being overwhelmed by the stress of certain social situations. Those situations could include: making small talk, meeting new people or social activities, often being overwhelming for an individual.
(https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/mental-health-social-anxiety-disorder)
People with Social Anxiety Disorder have persistent and intense fear or anxiety about specific social situations because they believe they may be judged negatively, embarrassed or humiliated. Avoidance of anxiety-producing social situations or enduring them with intense fear or anxiety.
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Types of Social Anxiety
Performance Social Anxiety:
- presenting/public speaking
- Participating in classes/ meetings
- Eating in public
- Using public washrooms
- Entering a room where everyone is already seated
Interpersonal Social Anxiety: - People with this type of anxiety can struggle with:
- Meeting new people
- Talking to co-workers or friends
- Going to social events
- Dating
- Being assertive
- Working in a group
- Ordering food
- Returning something at a store
Symptoms:
- Feeling sick
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Blushing
- Difficulty concentrating or feels like your mind is going blank
Assessment (Please don't use this to Self-Diagnose, see a professional if these are present!):
- Egodystonic : understands that their anxiety is unwarranted which can cause more anxiety
- Cause is unclear
- Individual fears acting in a way that might make then get judged
- Interferes with everyday routine and relationships
- Persistent lasting 6 or more months
- Can be genetics
- Close relative has social anxiety disorder
- Environment
- Exposure to neglect/abuse
- distress in specific social situations
- Making small talk
- Meeting new people
- presenting/giving a speech
How can it affect your life?
Social anxiety disorder can prevent you from living your life. You’ll avoid situations that most people would consider “normal”. It will have great effects on your personal relationships and can result in:
- Low self-esteem
- Negative thoughts
- Depression
- Poor social skills
- Sensitivity to criticism
How is Social Anxiety Disorder Treated?
When it comes to social anxiety disorder, treatment is all based on how this disorder affects your ability to function in life. The two most common methods would be psychotherapy and common medicine. These methods have many benefits and are proven to improve symptoms, but it takes consistency and effort to make those changes.
Psychotherapy:
- This method helps improve symptoms by helping the patient learn to recognize thought patterns as well as avoiding negative thought patterns
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most effective type of therapy for anxiety and can be equally effective when conducted in a group or individually
- Recovery time for each individual varies as treatment has different results for everyone
Medication
- Patients may be prescribed many types of medication to take care of the symptoms
- It is important to consider the amount of medication being taken or that other medical consequences could result
- Each patient will react to different types of medication so it is important to contact a psychiatrist and physician before continuing
