Is Social Anxiety Disorder More Than Just Shyness?
Many people get nervous in social situations. Activities like speaking in front of a group or performing on stage cause many of us to sweat, isn’t it? People with Social Anxiety Disorder, however, go through extreme anxiety in nearly every social situation!
Characteristics of Social Anxiety Disorder
The main feature of Social Anxiety Disorder is an irrational and intense fear. It arises from the fear of being criticized for one’s behavior. People having this disorder recognize that their worries aren’t meaningful, but they can’t stop themselves from worrying in any case. They often go to extremes to avoid going out in public altogether! Unfortunately, there are times when they have no choice but to “step out of their comfort zones” and meet people. This very thought is often enough to cripple them with anxiety.
People who suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder have many fears about social situations. If we take the example of speaking in public, these people tend to fear that:
- They will do or say something embarrassing.
- Their minds will go blank.
- They will be unable to continue speaking.
- Such people fear they’ll say foolish or senseless things.
- They fear and avoid signs of anxiety such as trembling or shaking.
Such people doubt their ability to do well in these situations. They also fear that others will expect more of them if their performance ends up smoothly.
How do they deal with common social activities?
It is understandable to think of becoming overwhelmed with fear regarding a public performance. But, people with Social Anxiety Disorder can have these very experiences in everyday situations as well. For example, they might avoid eating at a restaurant for the fear of eating awkwardly.
These fears evaporate once the individual is all alone because it is the people involved in the situation that causes them to experience anxiety.
Additionally, victims of this disorder have low self-esteem and underestimate their actual talents. They engage in extensive rumination by thinking repeatedly about how they could have acted differently in what they felt was an embarrassing social event.
How does Social Anxiety Disorder affect one’s life?
Social Anxiety Disorder can have effects similar to Agoraphobia as fears about public embarrassment may prevent the individual from leaving the house.
Social Anxiety Disorder may appear in a specific or a generalized form depending on whether the phobia occurs in any public situation or whether it is associated with one specific type of situation. Individuals with generalized Social Anxiety Disorder fear all interactions with others, not just situations in which they must perform or be observed. Individuals with the more specific type of social anxiety disorder have fears only in certain situations, such as public speaking. The individual’s professional and personal life is harmed by the disorder in both forms.
However, the more generalized form of Social Anxiety Disorder imposes many limitations, as individuals with this condition avoid careers with the potential for public exposure. They don’t even enjoy many kinds of relationships.People with musical talent, for example, might avoid careers as musicians because of the anxiety their disorder creates!.
Effects of Social Anxiety Disorder on children
Although Social Anxiety Disorder occurs in both children and adults, there are differences in how they experience the disorder.
- Firstly, children are not necessarily aware that their fear is not reasonable.
- Secondly, children do not have the freedom that adults do to avoid situations that make them anxious, such as having to speak in front of the class. Because they have no escape, they may express their anxiety in indirect ways like poor grades or refusal to talk to children.
Unfortunately, many who suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder during childhood and adolescence will experience the symptoms of this disorder as adults as well. The disorder arises slowly during childhood and adolescence within shy and inhibited people. For others, it may occur after an embarrassing public experience, such as a dance performance gone wrong. This is followed by significant impairment and shame in everyday life. There may be an increase in the risk of Depression as well.
Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder
Behavioral and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies are the best treatment methods for this purpose. A typical treatment regimen involves:-
- relaxation training
- visualization of the phobic stimulus
- progressive desensitization through repeated controlled exposure to the phobic cue
- extinction of the anxiety response
A cognitive-behavioral approach further helps in managing the fear and avoidance associated with exposure to the situation.
Conclusion
We may thus conclude that it is possible to treat Social Anxiety Disorder with help from a Psychologist. If you know of someone who suffers from this disorder, consult a Psychologist today!
Click here to help yourself, or someone you know, fight Social Anxiety Disorder with the assistance of a Psychologist.
Originally published at blog.mindsolace.com on June 18, 2017.
