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Social Phobia / Social Anxiety

Social phobia, also called social anxiety, is a disorder characterized by overwhelming anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations. People with social phobia have a persistent, intense, and chronic fear of being watched and judged by others and of being embarrassed or humiliated by their own actions. Their fear may be so severe that it interferes with work, school, or other ordinary activities. While many people with social phobia recognize that their fear of being around people may be excessive or unreasonable, they are unable to overcome it. They often worry for days or weeks in advance of a dreaded situation. 		 
   
Social phobia can be limited to only one type of situation—such as a fear of speaking in formal or informal situations, or eating or drinking in front of others—or, in its most severe form, may be so broad that person experiences symptoms almost anytime they are around other people. Social phobia can be very debilitating, it may even keep people from going to work or school on some days. Many people with this illness have a hard time making and keeping friends.

Physical symptoms often accompany the intense anxiety of social phobia and include blushing, profuse sweating, trembling, and other symptoms of anxiety, including difficulty talking and nausea or other stomach discomfort. These visible symptoms heighten the fear of disapproval and the symptoms themselves can become an additional focus of fear. Fear of symptoms can create a vicious cycle: as people with social phobia worry about experiencing the symptoms, the greater their chances of developing the symptoms. Social phobia often runs in families and may be accompanied by depression or alcohol dependence.

Prevalence of Social Phobia
About 3.7% of the U.S. population ages 18 to 54—approximately 5.3 million Americans—has social phobia in any given year. Social phobia occurs in women twice as often as in men, although a higher proportion of men seek help for this disorder. The disorder typically begins in childhood or early adolescence and rarely develops after age 25.

Symptoms

A diagnosis of social phobia is made only if the avoidance, fear or anxious anticipation of encountering the social or performance situation interferes with the persons daily routine, occupational functioning, social life or if the person is markedly distressed by having the phobia. (DSM-IV-TR™)
  • Fear of one or more social or performance situations if the person is exposed to unfamiliar people, and the individual fears that he or she will behave in a manner that causes embarrassment
  • Exposure to social situations causes intense anxiety
  • The level of anxiety is recognized by the individual as excessive
  • The feared situation must be avoided, or endured with anxiety and distress
  • The avoidance, anxious anticipation, or distress interferes significantly with the person's social, academic or occupational functioning

 

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