Social anxiety disorder

What is Social Anxiety?

Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is an intense fear of social situations. This fear arises when the individual believes that they may be judged, scrutinized or humiliated by others. The anxiety can be specific to one social situation or can be more general in nature. Feelings of fear, shame and embarrassment are common. It should not be confused with being shy or shyness.

Common anxiety provoking social situations include:

• talking with people in authority
• dating and developing close relationships
• making a phone call or answering the phone
• interviewing
• attending and participating in class
• speaking with strangers
• meeting new people
• eating, drinking, or writing in public
• using public bathrooms
• driving
• shopping

• rapid heartbeat
• sweating
• muscle tension
• upset stomach
• trembling
• shaky voice
• dry mouth
• blushing
• queasiness
• ticks
• hyper ventilation
• difficulty making eye contact

In extreme cases this intense uneasiness can progress into a full blown panic attack. The victim may experience shortness of breath, heart palpitations, numbness in hands and feet, or even a sense of being outside of ones own body.

The level of mental and physical discomfort is so strong that individuals often change their lifestyle to avoid being exposed to the situation. Changes that may result include dropping out of school, unemployment, alcohol or drug abuse, not leaving the house, suicidal thoughts, and avoiding relationships.

Social anxiety disorder may be associated with other psychiatric disorders, such as panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

How common is it?

Social anxiety disorder is the third most common psychiatric disorder in the United States behind depression and alcoholism. It is estimated that over 10 million Americans, or about 7% of the population, suffer from this condition.

Where does it come from?

There is no single known cause for social anxiety disorder, but studies point toward both biological and psychological factors.
Possible causes include:

• heredity
• biology
• family upbringing
• conditioning
• stressful lifestyle

What treatments are available?

To overcome anxiety is it important to realize that we must heal ourselves both mentally and physically.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the most popular treatment for this disorder. It addresses both cognitive and behavioral issues.
• The cognitive portion attempts to change negative thinking patterns. These patterns can have a direct effect on how a person feels in certain social situations.
• The behavioral portion attempts to weaken the connection between troublesome situations and how you react to them. It does this by gradually introducing the person back into the situation in a scheduled, steady manner.
• Physical Healing
• Exercise
• Relaxation
• Dietary considerations

Spiritual Healing

• The Bible provides instruction on how to deal with anxiety.
  • Phil. 4:6-7. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
  • 1 Peter 5:6-7. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
  • Matt. 6:34. Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
• The twelve-step program, first used in Alcoholic Anonymous, is used in many treatment programs. Two of the steps deal specifically with spiritual issues.
  • 2nd Step: Came to believe in a Power greater than ourselves that could restore us to wholeness.
  • 3rd Step: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of a Higher Power, as we understood our Higher Power.
• Medication
  • Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) Antidepressant medications
    • Paxil (paroxetine), Zoloft (sertraline), Prozac (fluoxetine),
      Luvox (fluvoxamine), Serzone (nefazondone)
  • Benzodiazepine Tranquilizers
    • Xanax (alprazolam), Ativan (lorazepam), Klonopin (clonazepam)
  • Cyclic Antidepressants
    • Tofranil (imipramine), Pamelor (nortriptyline), Norpramin (desipramine), Anafranil (clomipramine), Elavil (amitriptyline), Desyrel (trazadone), Sinequan (doxepin)
  • AO Inhibitor Antidepressants (MAOIs)
    • Nardil (phenelzine), Parnate (tranylcypromine)
  • Other Antidepressants
    • Effexor (venlafaxine), Wellbutrin (bupropion)
  • Beta-Blockers
    • Inderal (propranolol), Tenormin (atenolol)
  • Buspar
  Discussing these issues with a licensed therapist is the best way to find out what options are best for you. These links may help you find someone in your area:
  • NACBT National Referral Database
  There are also many support groups located throughout the world. Take a look here:
  • ADAA Support Group List
  
  DSM-IV DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA
  
  A. A marked and persistent fear of one or more social and performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others. The individual fears that he or she will act in a way (or show anxiety symptoms) that will be humiliating or embarrassing. Note: In children, there must be evidence of the capacity for age-appropriate social relationships with familiar people and the anxiety must occur in peer settings, not just in interactions with adults.
  
  B. Exposure to the feared social situation almost invariably provokes anxiety, which may take the form of a situationally bound or predisoposed Panic Attack. Note: In children, the anxiety may be expressed by crying, tantrums, freezing, or shrinking from social situations with unfamiliar people.
  
  C. The person recognizes that the fear is excessive or unreasonable. Note: In children, this feature may be absent
  
  D. The feared social or performance situation are avoided or else are endured with intense anxiety or distress
  
  E. The avoidance, anxious anticipation, or distress in the feared social or performance situation(S) interferes significantly with the person's normal routine, occupational (academic) functioning, or social activities or relationships, or there is marked distress about having the phobia.
  
  F. In individuals under age 18 years, the duration is at least 6 months
  
  G. The fear or avoidance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition and is not better accounted for by another mental disorder (e.g., Panic Disorder With or Without Agoraphobia, Separation Anxiety Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, or Schizoid Personality Disorder).
  
  H. If a general medical condition or another mental disorder is present, the fear in Criterion A is unrelated to it, e.g., the fear is not of Stuttering, trembling in Parkinson's disease, or exhibiting abnormal eating behavior in Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa.

I've only recently come to conclude that I am afflicted by the above ailment. Anyone else here suffer from social anxiety?
Talk about it if your afflicted as well.

very good info... u shld ave been our uni lecturer tanna hehehe...

just wanna add a couple of things.. its TRI CYCLIC ANTIDEPRESSANTs..

n before u wanna knw y blood pressure tabs (beta blockers) r used for anxiety its mainly to reduce any tachycardia..when smone is getiing stage fright or smfin like dat.. it can reduce palpitation so da patient is less tensed...

other than dat u ave covered it all tanna weldone...

Common anxiety provoking social situations include:

• developing close relationships
• interviewing
• attending and participating

• rapid heartbeat
• sweating
• shaky voice
• blushing
• difficulty making eye contact

Tanna, ei dhoroner phobia amar onek chilo ebon ache...dhire dhire jokhon nijer somossa bujte pari, bihibinno exercise er maddome katiye tulchi. ekhono onek phobia amar roye geche. hoito ba ei phobia bonsho goto bhabe chole eseche amar rokte. tobe kichu amake thekate parbena...chesta chaliye jachi unnoto korar jonne. onek vlauble information dile. Tomake dhonnobad...

Common anxiety provoking social situations include:

• talking with people in authority
• dating and developing close relationships
• making a phone call or answering the phone
• interviewing
• attending and participating in class
• speaking with strangers
• meeting new people
• eating, drinking, or writing in public
• using public bathrooms
• driving
• shopping

• rapid heartbeat
• sweating
• muscle tension
• upset stomach
• trembling
• shaky voice
• dry mouth
• blushing
• queasiness
• ticks
• hyper ventilation
• difficulty making eye contact

and this is the result ..... i do feel hungrY when i got Bored

This is a very nice post.I think apart from those reasons i can give a lot of funny others lol.Like while
1. Talkin to a person who was initially looked ordinary but later turned out to be an extra ordinary.
2. Unavoidable interaction with big shots with high profile and knowledge than me.
3. Being outsmarted or feeling inferior.
4. Going to relatives house after lonesome exam days. and lotss more lol.

I guess these are very common. If its 7% in highly developed US i wud say here its pretty much more than that. 99% of old house wives who are daring in kitchen have this social phobia outside. Daring rural ppl wil have the same when they come to city.
I dont think any medication will help.

BOIRAGI u do not have social anxiety disorder

Tamchow

medication,namely sedatives, leaves u prone to addiction, and furthermore they leave u performing at less than 100% in academics or recreation; therefore, im against the use of meds

Mina

gud luk on ur progress

In all of the above circumstances, social anxiety may arise as a matter of course; therefore one is not afflicted with the disorder when one expresses symptoms which are borne out of the circumstances stated above


that's not really a psychiatric condition; that's incompatibility with the environment


they do help but IMO the side-effects aren't worth it

In all of the above circumstances, social anxiety may arise as a matter of course; therefore one is not afflicted with the disorder when one expresses symptoms which are borne out of the circumstances stated above

-- I did not understand the english in red! My apology for poor english knowledge! Multiple use of 'one' made multiple confusion in ma mind. It ll be okay in simple english or bangla.


that's not really a psychiatric condition; that's incompatibility with the environment

Dont want to debate rather i wud like to understand how different my examples are from the psychiatric condition which you are saying,, from the 'symptoms' point of veiw.

they do help but IMO the side-effects aren't worth it

Again thats my belief that medicine wont help. I don wanna argue about how a pill can make a person smart in shopping/public bathrooms or facing principal of an institution.if some medicine does, that will be great but still my face wud be as i don believe.

Thanks a lot for caring the explanation.