Social Phobias
Social phobias, also known as social anxiety disorders, are complex fears that go much deeper than just being shy. Whether a person suffers from specific social phobias or generalized social phobias, they have a persistent and irrational fear of social situations.
Anxiety disorders are a form of mental illness that is estimated to afflict 10 percent of all Americans. Social phobias are varied, complicated and have no known cause, so they can be difficult to identify, diagnosis and treat. Social phobias are specific, meaning the person only fears one particular social situation, or generalized, which means they fear most or all social settings.
It is perfectly normal to experience a certain level of anxiety during certain social interactions, like making a speech, meeting new people or going on a first date. Social phobias elevate this level of anxiety to an extreme, making it next to impossible for the sufferer to participate in public events or have normal social interactions.
A person with a social phobia is extremely self-conscious, terrified of embarrassment and believes that other people are constantly watching and judging their behavior. Social phobias cause a person to become overwhelmingly anxious around other people and deeply fearful of even the most common social situation.
The typical symptoms of social phobias are similar to those of panic disorder:
• clammy or cold hands
• confusion and indecision
• diarrhea
• difficulty making eye contact
• excessive sweating
• increased heart rate or heart palpitations
• intense and prolonged blushing
• nausea or upset stomach
• shaking or trembling
You can see how it would be extremely difficult for a person suffering from these symptoms to interact with others.
There are also certain behaviors or personality traits that are associated with people suffering from social phobias:
• repeatedly making excuses to avoid dating or other social interactions
• low self-esteem
• extremely introverted, especially in unfamiliar social surroundings
• negative feelings about their appearance, behavior and personality
• hypersensitivity to criticism
These behaviors and feelings usually result in complete avoidance of social interaction, so a person with social phobia will become withdrawn in order to stop their suffering.
Social phobias are persistent mental disorders and often plague a person throughout their entire life, with ups and downs along the way. Dealing with social phobia requires treatment, which can be done in a number of ways.
The two most common and effective forms of treatment for social phobias are medication and psychotherapy, and they are usually used in combination. The most common type of medication used to treat social phobia is anti-depressants. The medication is used to control the symptoms so the patient can begin to treat the mental part of their illness without having to deal with the extreme level of anxiety.
The form of psychotherapy most effectively used to treat social phobias is cognitive behavior therapy, or CBT. CBT teaches the person how to change their own thinking and stop worrying about how they are perceived by others. This therapy is often successful, but it takes time and commitment to be healed from social phobias.