Help With Social Phobia and Social Anxiety

Do You Have Social Phobia?

Social Anxiety Disorder often referred to as Social Phobia, is the third largest mental health care problem in the world.

The latest research data shows that social phobias affect over 7% of the total population at any one time. The chance of developing social anxiety disorder within your lifetime is around 13%.

Often people who develop Social Anxiety Disorder are unaware exactly what is wrong. There can be subtle signs of anxiety to start with such as feeling uncomfortable in crowds or around certain people.

If left untreated, Social Anxiety Disorder can become extremely serious. Often sufferers of Social Anxiety have problems leaving home, attending work and can struggle in relationships as the condition takes over almost completely.

So What Is Social Anxiety?

Social anxiety is a fear of any social situation that involves interaction with other people. Sufferers often describe it as a fear and anxiety of being watched, judged, evaluated or ridiculed by other people.

If you become anxious when you are around certain people or are out in public but are fine when alone or with trusted friends or family then you may be suffering from some form of social anxiety.

Often people with social anxiety can appear quite normal to other people despite the fact they feel extremely uncomfortable and falsely believe that people are watching them or judging them.

Sufferers are often thought of as shy, quiet, withdrawn, anti-social, nervous or unfriendly. They desperately want to be considered normal and fit in, but also want to escape social situations because they feel uncomfortable or unable to handle things.

What Triggers Social Anxiety?

Social Anxiety can cause extreme distress in certain situations. Some sufferers may have good days and bad days. Normally, a previous experience or memory triggers anxiety. Certain people, places and situations can all trigger an episode of social anxiety.

Common situations, which trigger social anxiety, include…

Being laughed at
Being the focus of attention
Being introduced to new people
Being criticized
Being watched while eating
Having to speak in public
Feeling out of place
Being embarrassed
Making eye contact with people

These are just a few examples of some situations that may trigger social anxiety.

What Are The Signs of Anxiety?

Different people suffer in many different ways. But common feelings that come with social anxiety include an intense fear normally accompanied by an increased heart rate, shortness of breath, sweating and rise in body temperature, dry mouth and throat, negative thoughts which may occur weeks before an actual event or situation even occurs, trembling and muscle twitches.

The most common sign is a constantly present sense of anxiety or stress that does not completely disappear. This sense may be little more than a worry at times but at other times may become an extreme sense of panic.

Often sufferers of social anxiety worry about events or situations that have not yet happened or may never happen. They can spend time analyzing and asking themselves, “what if this happens”.

They can also spend considerable time thinking about situations in the past which they deemed themselves to have handled badly.

This dwelling on past events and trying to anticipate future events can become almost an obsession in certain cases.

How Do You Stop Anxiety?

Often people with social anxiety are highly intelligent and become aware that their anxiety is irrational and illogical. They realize that their thought processes are distorting everyday reality but are unable to change their anxious thoughts and feelings. Facing fearful situations may provide a temporary sense of accomplishment but is not normally enough to overcome social anxiety.

The most successful cases seem to have combined exposure to social situations with therapy and medication.

A process known as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT has shown much success in the treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder. It works by challenging the thought processes and false beliefs of an individual.

The sufferer of social anxiety learns to undo thought processes which have accumulated over time. These processes have become distorted and self-destructive. They are replaced over time with more positive and realistic thoughts.

Somewhat ironically, group therapy can also be very helpful in recovering from social phobia. Entering any kind of group and revealing your innermost thoughts would be daunting to anyone, let alone someone suffering from social phobia.

But often the initial fear is replaced by a sense of relief that comes from sharing an experience with many people. If everyone in the room has the same problem there is a sense of unity that doesn’t occur anywhere else. Even close friends and family may not understand how a sufferer feels. Group therapy is therefore often very rewarding and lifelong friendships can often develop.

Overcoming Social Anxiety With Medication

Medication is useful for many people suffering from social phobia and therapists often work with the sufferer’s doctor where possible.

Research indicates use of the anti-anxiety agents and certain anti-depressants while Cognitive Behavioral Therapy takes place, provides the best results. Medication without CBT only provides temporary results.

What Next If You Have Social Anxiety?

If you feel that you may be suffering from Social Anxiety do not panic. There is lots of help available and you are not alone.

Many people suffer from Social Anxiety. It doesn’t make you strange, weird or any less of a human being. It is very treatable and with the right help you will make a full recovery. But do not ignore it. Take action and make it a priority to overcome social anxiety. Don’t let fear rule your life, don’t give it the chance to take over and if it already has taken over much of your life, take your life back!

Where To Find Help For Social Anxiety?

It is important you can talk to someone about your social anxiety. If you have a close friend or family member who you trust, try talking to them about it.

Probably the most important step is contacting your doctor or local mental health center. Sometimes a doctor has to refer you and other times you can simply make an appointment at your local mental health center.

Don’t be afraid to seek help. The consequences of not seeking help are far worse than trying to deal with the problem on your own.

There are also many organizations and groups providing support. Here is a list of a few websites, which can help you, further.

I also like the following sites which deal with real-life experiences of panic attacks, anxiety and social phobia.

You can also look for Self Help books on Social Anxiety / Social Phobia but this should not replace professional help from a doctor or therapist.

One particularly helpful book is The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook.