All About Social Anxiety

Social anxiety, also called social phobia, is an anxiety disorder in which a person has a fear of being judged, watched or criticized by others in a social situations.  The person feels an overwhelming fear of making a mistake, of being humiliated or embarrassed in front of someone.

This fear can cause people to avoid social situations or have extreme distress while in situations that involve other people.  The person may also anticipate the fear of a situation before it happens, even weeks before the event.  Many times they know the fear is unreasonable, yet are unable to overcome that feeling. 

People with social anxiety usually have negative opinions about others, they're thinking is distorted, and they have a false belief that social situations will embarrass them.  Social anxiety can have a negative effect on a persons normal routine, school, work, relationships and social situations.  

Situations that may be terrifying to a person who suffers from a social anxiety disorder are eating or drinking in front of others, going to the bathroom, talking on the phone, working in front of others, interacting with others or being the center of attention. 

How Social Anxiety Affects You

Social anxiety can cause physical symptoms which vary depending on your situation.

Here are a few general symptoms:

-          Upset stomach

-          Diarrhea

-          Anxiety

-          Shaking

-          Blushing

-          Rapid heartbeat

-          Muscle tension 

Children who are affected by social anxiety can show anxiety symptoms by crying, tantrums, and clinging to their parents. 

The most common anxiety disorder is social disorder and affects millions of Americans. It is the 3rd most common mental disorder; depression and alcohol dependency are the other top two common mental disorders. 

Social disorder may be caused by a neurotransmitter serotonin imbalance.  If these neurotransmitters are out of balance, the messages cannot get through the brain properly.  This can affect the way the brain reacts to a stressful situations, causing anxiety. 

Anxiety disorders are inherited.  Social anxiety may also be caused by a situation in the past, in which the person was embarrassed or humiliated.  The person may have seen what happened to someone else or witnessed someone else having an embarrassing, humiliating moment, being laughed at or made fun of.  Another possibility is that as part of a child's normal development of social skills, a parent may have been overprotected or sheltered the child. 

Treatment for Social Anxiety

Social anxiety cannot be prevented, but seeking medical attention as soon as the symptoms begin, can increase the effects of the treatment.  Cognitive-behavior therapy is the most effective treatment for social anxiety. 

Medication may be used to treat the symptoms, but cognitive-behavior therapy teaches the patient to react differently to the stressful situation for long term benefits.  The therapist helps the patient work through the fear associated with the situation by gradually exposing the patient to real life situations and helps the patient through the fears in a controlled environment.

 The patient learns to overcome their fears of social anxiety.  If social anxiety stops you from doing your job, going grocery shopping, or living your life, you may want to talk to your doctor about treatment that would be right for you.