Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety disorder is characterized by a persistent fear of any kind of social interactions and the feeling of intense embarrassment or humiliation, apparently without reason. The patients of this disorder are always anxious of being judged poorly by others and as a result start avoiding social interaction completely. Whenever such people face any situation where interaction with others cannot be avoided, they suffer extreme anxiety and nervousness. In chronic cases such people start showing extreme symptoms even when they anticipate a social situation. This anxiety is manifested in external physical symptoms such as palpitations, sweating, trembling, flushing or blushing.
Sometimes it is difficult to differentiate the normal social anxiety that every individual feels to some extent from this chronic condition. Everyone has some degree of social anxiety in them, yet when such anxiety becomes so overriding that the person starts avoiding all social interactions as a result of his anxiety and the physical symptoms cause him distress beyond natural parameters, it is clear that it is a result of this disorder. Most often, close family members or friends can recognize this, since they have a better perspective of the patient’s suffering.
Social anxiety disorder can be classified into three different types. First is a performance-oriented social anxiety disorder that affects a person only when he is performing in front of an audience, as when giving public speeches, or presentations.
The second type of this disorder is a general social anxiety disorder where a person is unnaturally anxious in various social situations like parties, meetings and interviews.
The third and most chronic type is avoidant personality disorder, which is more common in males than females and starts usually at a very young age. Such people are able to make very few friends and often opt not to get married. These people avoid all opportunities for social interactions and live with a constant fear of being ridiculed and judged by all around them.
Cause of Social Anxiety Disorder
There is no clear mandate on the exact cause of social anxiety disorder. There are many assumptions about it, which include a combination of a person’s genetic make up, early childhood and adolescent experiences. It could be caused by a person’s genetic predisposition. And just as physical features like eye and hair color are inherited, social anxiety disorder can also be passed on from one generation to the other. It has been proven that in some cases anxiety disorders run through generations. It has also been noticed among identical twins that if one of them has an anxiety disorder, the other is also likely to have the disorder, so there is an obvious link between anxiety disorders and ones genes.
The second commonly believed cause originated from a study of animal behavior, which says that all animals are fearful of others, especially strangers looking or staring at them. Staring is generally considered threatening behavior, and can unsettle the other person. Therefore, avoiding eye contact or averting the gaze is very common in people with social anxiety disorder. It is usually seen that fear of strangers develops in very young babies, as early as 7 months of age. Though it is natural for young children to be anxious around strangers, trauma or stress in the early years is perceived as a probable cause for this order.
It is also believed that anxiety is caused by the structure of our brain. Our brain controls all our thinking, physiological functions and behavior. Anxiety symptoms are often relieved by medicines that change the chemical balance of the brain. In fact, our anxiety response system is centered in our brain, and there are certain critical components in the brain that regulate our response to anxiety. Individuals with social anxiety disorder probably have abnormalities in the functioning of some parts of their anxiety response system.
An individual’s personality may also play an important role. It has been noticed that people with low self-esteem and poor coping skills are more prone to social anxiety disorders. Whereas it may also be possible that anxiety disorder in a child’s early years has led to the low self-esteem, psychologists also believe that there may be an important relationship between anxiety disorders and long-term exposure to abuse and violence.
Overcoming Social Anxiety Disorder
The first step in overcoming social anxiety disorder is to learn as much as you can about it. This helps you to recognize the cause of your problems and increases the speed of your recovery, since you are able to recognize and respond to your own symptoms.
The next step is to get professional help by consulting a qualified doctor. This is most important in order to establish if your symptoms are indeed related to anxiety disorder or something else, so that you can get a treatment that works for you.
A close family member or friend can be very helpful in overcoming your condition. This person acts as a buddy and coach with whom you can discuss your efforts on a regular basis. After that you must follow a plan that you or your doctor will make and evaluate your progress regularly.
But YOU are the only person who can lead to quick recovery. Yoga and breathing techniques that help you relax and control reflexes are helpful for some people. Similarly, audiotapes are helpful in passively reinforcing positive messages in your mind. Meeting others like you is also an effective way to finding solutions. When one is able to rationally understand the symptoms of anxiety disorder through another person’s experiences, he will gradually start applying the same logic to his own behavior and actions. Though all this easier said than done, since most anxiety disorders bring along with them acute depression that does not allow the individual to take charge of his situation. The important thing to remember is that it is a fight, and that only you can win it, so every small step so that you can take towards meeting your goals is a big achievement. The goal can be as small as waking up early in the morning and getting out of the house to smell the flowers.
Social Anxiety Disorder Treatments
Most anxiety disorders respond well to two types of treatment: medication and psychotherapy. These treatments are prescribed alone or in combination. Although not cures, both treatments are effective in relieving the symptoms of anxiety disorders, thus enabling individuals to pursue more healthy lives. The psychotherapy method is called cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and the objective of this therapy is to teach people with social anxiety disorder to react differently to the situations that trigger their anxiety symptoms, through counseling and talking to them.
Behavioral therapy usually aims to change a person’s responses through various ways including relaxation techniques, such as breathing from the diaphragm, and through gradual exposure to what the patient finds frightening. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, similar to behavioral therapy, helps patients understand and accept their thought processes and resultant symptoms, so that they can choose to react differently to situations that cause their anxiety disorder.
The counselor usually tries to make the patient confront his negative feelings about social situations and the fear about being judged by others. The objective is to try and change the pattern of thinking to alter behavior. Along with this, certain techniques are used, like slow exposure to anxiety-provoking situations so that the patient develops enough confidence to deal effectively with such situations. In some situations, the counselor may feel the need to teach social skills to the patient, where hypothetical social situations may be created and the patient is shown how to confront that particular situation through role-play. Another effective way to overcome social anxiety is to maintain a personal diary to record such real-life situations and the patient’s own personal responses. This helps greatly to view the situation in an impersonal and objective manner, so that the person can correct his behavior in the future.
tags: anxiety disorder , Cause of Social Anxiety , Anxiety , social anxiety disorder ,Cause Of Social Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms, Social Anxiety Disorder Medications.
Social anxiety disorder is characterized by a persistent fear of any kind of social interactions and the feeling of intense embarrassment or humiliation, apparently without reason. The patients of this disorder are always anxious of being judged poorly by others and as a result start avoiding social interaction completely. Whenever such people face any situation where interaction with others cannot be avoided, they suffer extreme anxiety and nervousness. In chronic cases such people start showing extreme symptoms even when they anticipate a social situation. This anxiety is manifested in external physical symptoms such as palpitations, sweating, trembling, flushing or blushing.
Sometimes it is difficult to differentiate the normal social anxiety that every individual feels to some extent from this chronic condition. Everyone has some degree of social anxiety in them, yet when such anxiety becomes so overriding that the person starts avoiding all social interactions as a result of his anxiety and the physical symptoms cause him distress beyond natural parameters, it is clear that it is a result of this disorder. Most often, close family members or friends can recognize this, since they have a better perspective of the patient’s suffering.
Social anxiety disorder can be classified into three different types. First is a performance-oriented social anxiety disorder that affects a person only when he is performing in front of an audience, as when giving public speeches, or presentations.
The second type of this disorder is a general social anxiety disorder where a person is unnaturally anxious in various social situations like parties, meetings and interviews.
The third and most chronic type is avoidant personality disorder, which is more common in males than females and starts usually at a very young age. Such people are able to make very few friends and often opt not to get married. These people avoid all opportunities for social interactions and live with a constant fear of being ridiculed and judged by all around them.
There is no clear mandate on the exact cause of social anxiety disorder. There are many assumptions about it, which include a combination of a person’s genetic make up, early childhood and adolescent experiences. It could be caused by a person’s genetic predisposition. And just as physical features like eye and hair color are inherited, social anxiety disorder can also be passed on from one generation to the other. It has been proven that in some cases anxiety disorders run through generations. It has also been noticed among identical twins that if one of them has an anxiety disorder, the other is also likely to have the disorder, so there is an obvious link between anxiety disorders and ones genes.
The second commonly believed cause originated from a study of animal behavior, which says that all animals are fearful of others, especially strangers looking or staring at them. Staring is generally considered threatening behavior, and can unsettle the other person. Therefore, avoiding eye contact or averting the gaze is very common in people with social anxiety disorder. It is usually seen that fear of strangers develops in very young babies, as early as 7 months of age. Though it is natural for young children to be anxious around strangers, trauma or stress in the early years is perceived as a probable cause for this order.
It is also believed that anxiety is caused by the structure of our brain. Our brain controls all our thinking, physiological functions and behavior. Anxiety symptoms are often relieved by medicines that change the chemical balance of the brain. In fact, our anxiety response system is centered in our brain, and there are certain critical components in the brain that regulate our response to anxiety. Individuals with social anxiety disorder probably have abnormalities in the functioning of some parts of their anxiety response system.
An individual’s personality may also play an important role. It has been noticed that people with low self-esteem and poor coping skills are more prone to social anxiety disorders. Whereas it may also be possible that anxiety disorder in a child’s early years has led to the low self-esteem, psychologists also believe that there may be an important relationship between anxiety disorders and long-term exposure to abuse and violence.
Overcoming Social Anxiety Disorder
The first step in overcoming social anxiety disorder is to learn as much as you can about it. This helps you to recognize the cause of your problems and increases the speed of your recovery, since you are able to recognize and respond to your own symptoms.
The next step is to get professional help by consulting a qualified doctor. This is most important in order to establish if your symptoms are indeed related to anxiety disorder or something else, so that you can get a treatment that works for you.
A close family member or friend can be very helpful in overcoming your condition. This person acts as a buddy and coach with whom you can discuss your efforts on a regular basis. After that you must follow a plan that you or your doctor will make and evaluate your progress regularly.
But YOU are the only person who can lead to quick recovery. Yoga and breathing techniques that help you relax and control reflexes are helpful for some people. Similarly, audiotapes are helpful in passively reinforcing positive messages in your mind. Meeting others like you is also an effective way to finding solutions. When one is able to rationally understand the symptoms of anxiety disorder through another person’s experiences, he will gradually start applying the same logic to his own behavior and actions. Though all this easier said than done, since most anxiety disorders bring along with them acute depression that does not allow the individual to take charge of his situation. The important thing to remember is that it is a fight, and that only you can win it, so every small step so that you can take towards meeting your goals is a big achievement. The goal can be as small as waking up early in the morning and getting out of the house to smell the flowers.
Social Anxiety Disorder Treatments
Most anxiety disorders respond well to two types of treatment: medication and psychotherapy. These treatments are prescribed alone or in combination. Although not cures, both treatments are effective in relieving the symptoms of anxiety disorders, thus enabling individuals to pursue more healthy lives. The psychotherapy method is called cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and the objective of this therapy is to teach people with social anxiety disorder to react differently to the situations that trigger their anxiety symptoms, through counseling and talking to them.
Behavioral therapy usually aims to change a person’s responses through various ways including relaxation techniques, such as breathing from the diaphragm, and through gradual exposure to what the patient finds frightening. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, similar to behavioral therapy, helps patients understand and accept their thought processes and resultant symptoms, so that they can choose to react differently to situations that cause their anxiety disorder.
The counselor usually tries to make the patient confront his negative feelings about social situations and the fear about being judged by others. The objective is to try and change the pattern of thinking to alter behavior. Along with this, certain techniques are used, like slow exposure to anxiety-provoking situations so that the patient develops enough confidence to deal effectively with such situations. In some situations, the counselor may feel the need to teach social skills to the patient, where hypothetical social situations may be created and the patient is shown how to confront that particular situation through role-play. Another effective way to overcome social anxiety is to maintain a personal diary to record such real-life situations and the patient’s own personal responses. This helps greatly to view the situation in an impersonal and objective manner, so that the person can correct his behavior in the future.
tags: anxiety disorder , Cause of Social Anxiety , Anxiety , social anxiety disorder ,Cause Of Social Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms, Social Anxiety Disorder Medications.