Have you ever found yourself walking through a public mall where you feel like you are the center of attention and everyone is staring at you? Or maybe you’ve been to a dinner party and have become so aware that other diners are watching your every move that you’ve been too nervous to enjoy it. If these or other similar situations have happened to you, you could be suffering from social anxiety disorder or SAD.
Social anxiety is the abnormal, excessive, and irrational fear of common social interactions. It is the anxiety of being judged by others. Social anxiety is a general fear of being around people and having to interact with them. More than 15 million Americans suffer from this disorder which manifests itself in feelings of incompetence, shame, nervousness and anxiety to the point that they cannot function normally in public situations.
People with SAD tend to have low self-esteem and an overriding fear of rejection. SAD can also prevent sufferers from forming personal relationships with other people and causing stress in existing relationships due to fear of embarrassment in social situations. They can become domestic hermits by isolating themselves from normal social contacts with people. They may be well aware that their symptoms are irrational, yet they cannot do anything about it.
Social anxiety, also known as social phobia, is not very well understood by the general public or even healthcare professionals. It is often confused with shyness because shy people often feel uncomfortable in public situations and with people as well. But shy people don’t necessarily experience the intense feelings of anxiety that someone with SAD will experience. Also, people who have been diagnosed with social anxiety are not necessarily shy.
Another reason that social anxiety disorder can be difficult to diagnose is that its physical symptoms vary between different people. Some common symptoms are flushing, nausea, tremors, dry mouth, spasms, hot flashes, and sweating. In full-blown anxiety episodes, psychological fear can result in a sense of panic so extreme that it can trigger a panic attack.
There is no single known cause of social anxiety disorder, but some studies indicate that social anxiety disorder can be triggered by a chemical imbalance caused by a lack of serotonin in the brain.
The most common treatment for those with social anxiety disorder is cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT. In this therapy, the therapist works closely with the patient both to help him identify his fears and to provide him with a coping mechanism to combat them. CBT is also helpful in improving the patient’s self-esteem and social skills. CBT has been effective in treating many patients, but not all.
In cases where CBT has not been effective, medications such as paroxetine may be prescribed for symptoms of social anxiety. Other types of prescription drugs that have been used to treat SAD include antidepressants such as Paxil, Librim, Valium, and others.
Unfortunately, many people with SAD often never seek help that could alleviate their symptoms because they do not realize they have the disorder or do not realize that help is available for them.
