What’s to know about social anxiety disorder?

January 14, 2020

Dr. Srikanth Reddy

#Best Psychiatrist in Indore

#Best Psychologist and De-Addiction Specialist in Indore

Social anxiety disorder or social anxiety is an excessive emotional discomfort, fear, or worry about social situations. The individual is worried about being evaluated or scrutinized by other people, and there is a heightened fear of interactions with others.

What is social anxiety disorder?

A person with social anxiety disorder may be extremely fearful of embarrassment in social conditions. This fear can affect personal and professional relationships.

Social anxiety often happens early in childhood as a normal part of social development and may go unnoticed until the person is older. The triggers and frequency of social anxiety vary depending on the individual.

Many people feel nervous in certain social situations, such as when giving a presentation, going out on a date, or taking part in a competition. This is normal and would not qualify as social anxiety disorder.

Social anxiety becomes a medical situation when everyday social interactions reason excessive fear, self-consciousness, and embarrassment.

Symptoms

• fear of meeting people in authority
• severe anxiety or panic attacks when experiencing the feared situation
• refraining from certain activities or talking to people because of a fear of embarrassment
• a blank mind in social situations that reason anxiety
• fear of being in situations with strangers
• dread concerning how they will be presented to others
• a fear of being anxious that makes the anxiety worse

Treatment

Social anxiety disorder is a lifelong situation for many people, generally changing in how severe it is. Treatments can help people control their symptoms and gain confidence.

Psychotherapy and medications are considered to be the most effective treatments.

Psychotherapy

This is a psychological treatment that uses a wide variety of techniques to help the person view themselves and their problems in a more realistic light and overcome and cope with them effectively.

There are many types of psychotherapy, including cognitive therapy, interpersonal therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and family therapy.

Cognitive behavioural therapy

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been shown to improve symptoms a great deal.

CBT helps the patient realize that it is their own thoughts, rather than other people, that determine how they react or behave. In this type of psychotherapy, the patient learns how to recognize and change negative thoughts about themselves.