What Is Social Phobia? Reasons, Consequences & Treatments

Social anxiety disorder generally known as Social Phobia is prevailing mental illness which is characterized by persistent fear of being judged, acute negativity, and social rejection. Here, the patient has an in-built hitch that what will happen if he/she somehow acts in an unusual manner, and is bound to face social embarrassment & humiliation. A recent read 12.7 million Americans experience social anxiety at some stage of their lives. Not just the adults, our young generation are also a big victim of social phobia disorder, thanks to the rising influence of social media.

Before we go any further, it is imperative to know the social phobia meaning–

Often mingled with shyness or a little bit of nervousness to face the crowd, social phobia is the extreme form of social fear. Here, the individual has so much fear that he/she is unable to meet the everyday chores, such as dining with people. While, it’s by default many find it daunting to interact with the strangers, but any individual suffering from social anxiety disorder face difficulty to talk to their friends and relatives. Their overwhelming fear revolves around being the center of attraction/topic of discussion when they come across people they know.

The feeling of social fear can be extremely terrible and has both physiological and health impacts, a handful of these include the rapid heartbeat, sudden muscle tension, dizziness, breathlessness, and so many other physical symptoms those can cause inner traumas. Many experience these common symptoms during the event, while some go through sleepless nights, weeks before. The biggest problem is when an individual ignores all these feelings and often resisted to undergo the social phobia diagnosis and seek help.

Any individual sufferings from social anxiety have to deal with it in numerous ways. Some of the situations where the people often face trouble include, speaking to the strangers, dating, speaking in front of a group of people, they even get nervous in using the public restroom, they avoid parties, making eye contact with someone, going to school/work, and the list is truly endless.

Compelling Reasons for Social Phobia- What Cause Anxiety?

There is a massive list containing all the possible causes of developing social phobia, however, we have broadly divided them into three categories. So, scroll down to know what cause anxiety?

Temperament

 This is the most prevalent cause of social anxiety in the roots of the young segment of our society. Teens those have a bit of shyness in nature and often emotionally attached kind of individual, are easy prey of social disorder. If you and someone in your family is excessively timid by nature, then be very careful on how to deal with him/her, such an individual is at high risk of developing social anxiety at some phase of their life.

Family History

This is another factor that cannot be overlooked; social anxiety is often inherited by many from their forefathers. So, ask yourself, does your family has a history of sufferers from the social phobia? If so, it is important to get your mental health diagnosed. There might be a possibility of genetic predisposition.

Environment

The environment you live in influence your character largely. Majority of people go through social phobia just because of their ill-treatment by their relatives or friends. Peer pressure among teen is an easy reason for social interaction fear. Here, the role of the family is the key to determine any sort of sudden or gradual change in the character of their loved one.

The Checklist for Social Anxiety Disorders Symptoms

1. Do you feel a kind of nervousness or embarrassment when dealing with everyday social situations? These scenarios include- Meeting the strangers, fear of being observed while you are having food or talking to someone over the phone call. The biggest symptom is the severe fear of underperforming in the public, something like stage anxiety.
2. Have you avoided the following situation of the social phobia-avoid social gathering, family events, going to the office/school? If yes, you are a possible victim of social anxiety, and you are required to get it diagnosed.

Diagnosis of the Social Phobia

Just like any other mental health disorder, Social Phobia can only be diagnosed by a qualified professional dealing with physiological conditions. The doctor will ask a few questions regarding your condition to make out whether you are suffering from social anxiety or not. The key element of diagnosing mental health is about determining if the social phobia has impacted your life in any or the other way. For instance, if you have a fear of speaking in public, but you have made a great career in IT, then it means your fear is not a phobia, and it’s just in your nature. But, on the other hand, if your phobia is having a massive negative impact on your professional life, means your sales are going down because of your inability/fear of speaking to unknown people, then immediately seek social phobia help.

Treatment Of Social Phobia

There are a number of ways your social anxiety problem can be treated. Broadly the treatment of social phobia can be divided into three major categories; one is the medication, mental therapy, and one for other alternative methods. It depends upon your condition, if your case is severe, then your doctor may even advise a combination of treatments for quick results.

Medication

The medication is often not termed as the perfect treatment to deal with someone suffering from social phobia. The following medicine salts are recommended for improving the mental health- Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors- gives relief by attacking the levels of serotonin in the brain, usually prescribed for patients with depression. The Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors help the patient with social phobia by triggering the breakdown of certain varieties of enzymes in the brain.   Benzodiazepines, mild sedatives can also be consumed upon the advice of the doctor; they are quite helpful in easing the patient with their social phobia by lowering down the individual’s anxiety levels. The    Beta Blockers have commonly prescribed medicines for cutting down on the sudden release of Adrenaline in the body. Moreover, maintain the body blood pressure and several heart conditions.

One important to note in here is that these medicines should only be consumed with your doctor’s consent.

Therapy

There are numerous therapies to overcome a social phobia, most of these involve giving motivational life lessons, and to develop in their minds that things outside should not be greater than what lies within you. The talk therapy has shown results, as described by numerous mental studies done in the recent past. Cognitive-Behavioral therapy is another means to get people out of their social phobia. Group seminars have found to be effective in so many cases.

Alternative Treatments

Many people have come out their shells with a wide range of alternative methods available; Hypnotherapy, aromatherapy, guided imagery, homeopathy, to mention a few. If you are considering opting for any of these alternative social phobia treatments, then it is best to find a certified mental health professional for this.