Social Anxiety Disorder Introduction & Overview - OmniMedicalSearch.com ( Anxeity )

Social phobia, also called social anxiety disorder, is an anxiety disorder characterized by "a marked and persistent fear of social or performance situations in which embarrassment may occur" (DSM). Social phobia can be limited only to one type of social setting (known as specific social phobia), such as fear of speaking in formal or informal situations, eating, drinking, or writing in front of other people, or can include any type of social contact (known as generalized social phobia).

Social phobia can be associated with the fear of negative evaluation. Individuals with social phobia, when exposed to feared situations, experience an intense fear and concern that others watch their actions and judge their performance as poor, and them as anxious, weak, crazy, or stupid. For example, individuals with social phobia that fear speaking in public are concerned that others notice their trembling hands or voice, while those that fear eating, drinking, or writing in public worry that those around them, notice that their hands are shaking.

The intense fear experienced during the encounter with feared stimuli invariably provokes an immediate anxiety response, which can be either a panic attack (palpitations, sweating, chills or hot flashes, trembling or shaking, sensation of shortness of breath, sensation of choking, chest pain or discomfort, nausea or abdominal discomfort, dizziness or lightheadedness, tingling sensations), or an anxiety attack (palpitation, tremor, sweating, gastrointestinal discomfort, diarrhea, muscle tension, blushing, confusion).

Individuals with social phobia tend to think that others are more socially competent than they are. They also believe that every little "mistake" they make is exaggeratedly judged. For example, if the person spills a drink on their clothes, he or she worries that others immediately notice the stain and judge him or her as a slob. Unfortunately, due to their behavior, individuals with social phobia are usually perceived as shy, nervous, aloof, unfriendly, and disinterested.

Many individuals with social phobia recognize that their fears are excessive and unreasonable, but are unable to overcome them. This typically leads to an avoidance behavior towards feared situations. In rare cases, the individual forces himself or herself to confront the feared situation. However, the event itself is marked by anticipatory anxiety (the person worries in advanced for the upcoming social event), is managed with intense fearful cognition and anxiety symptoms which lead to actual or perceived poor performance, and is followed by intense worry of how they were being judged.

Sometimes, social phobia is confused with being shy, self-conscious or nervous in social situations. Many people experience anxiety (racing heart, sweaty palms, fluttering stomach) as a normal response to performance related situations, feel shy or insecure in different social settings, but they manage to control these feelings and perform well. Individuals with social phobia are incapable to control the anxiety symptoms and avoid the confrontation. Social phobia becomes a disorder when the anxiety and avoidance behavior significantly interferes with the person's normal, day to day routine, occupational or academic functioning, social activities and relationships, or the person experiences an increased distress about having the phobia.

The essential feature of social phobia is an intense fear of being in social or a "performing situation." One of the main symptoms of social phobia is:

Social phobia affects 15 million American adults. It is the third most common psychiatric disorder in the United States after depression and alcohol abuse. Social phobia affects 7 to 13 percent of American adults in any given year. Women and men are equally affected by this disorder. Adolescents and young adults are more susceptible to social phobia, because this age category is more concerned with their image and conformity, and are more unsure of themselves when surrounded by others. Social phobia is also diagnosed in children under 12 years old.

Social phobia seems to be more prevalent among white, married, and well-educated individuals. Left untreated, social phobia leads to social isolation in children, and is often accompanied by anxiety disorder, depression, and substance abuse (when the person tries to self-medicate the anxiety) in adults.

Conditions & Diseases: Psychological & Mental Health

Social Anxiety Disorder