Social Anxiety disorder and Social Phobia
Whilst most people feel shy or nervous in situations such as public speaking, walking into a room full of strangers, job interviews, or meeting people for the first time, Social Phobia refers to an anxiety disorder in which fears of being judged, criticized, rejected, or humiliated dominate social interactions resulting in severe distress and/or impairment. Sufferers realise that the social anxiety is excessive and unreasonable, but feel helpless to control it and struggle to change their thoughts or behaviour.
If you have become socially isolated or unable to progress in your career as a result of your social anxiety, and/or you experience overwhelming anxiety, at times even peaking into panic attacks as a result of your social fears, you may be suffering from Social Phobia.
If you have Social Phobia, your fear of social situations interferes significantly with your daily life including work, education, family and social life. In any one year, around 3% of Australians suffer from symptoms of significant intensity to warrant diagnosis of social phobia. Up to 13 per cent of the population may develop social phobia during their lifetime. Men and women are equally affected, though a higher number of men seek treatment.
In many cases, social phobia begins with shyness in childhood and progresses during adolescence. Social phobia is also known as social anxiety disorder. Social Phobia can be Specific (e.g. anxiety about signing ones’ name, eating in front of others, or speaking on the telephone in front of others) or Generalised (i.e. anxiety may related to many types of social situations).
Faced with a feared social situation, a person with social phobia may experience symptoms of extreme anxiety, such as:
- Mind going blank
- Trembling
- Feeling hot
- Lump or pressure in the throat
- Blushing
- Breathlessness
- Heart or pulse racing
- Sweaty palms
- Difficulty concentrating
- Muscle tension
- Butterflies in stomach, need to urinate frequently, diarrhoea
- Feeling faint or light headed
- Overwhelming fear and need to escape the situation
A person with social phobia can fear (and try to avoid) a range of situations. Such situations can include the following (though the list below is not in-depth):
• Meeting new people, shaking hands
• Starting or having a conversation
• Applying for new jobs/changing jobs
• Applying for promotions
• Job interviews
• Family gatherings
• Dropping or picking up children from school
• Parent teacher interviews
• Talking to a large group
• Voicing opinions
• Attending a course
• Crowds and parties
• Public speaking
• Dating
• Using public toilets
• Shopping
• Talking with someone who is in a position of authority
• Being watched while doing something, such as eating, signing papers, or talking on the telephone
• Situations that put them in the spotlight, such as parties to celebrate their own birthday
• Returning unwanted items etc.
Common fears experienced by sufferers of Social Phobia/Social Anxiety include worries that others will notice their physical symptoms of anxiety (such as profuse sweating, trembling, blushing, or voice quivering), fear of looking silly or ridiculous by not doing or saying “the right thing” or saying something inappropriate due to feeling flustered and anxious; fear of appearing boring, uninteresting or unintelligent to others, or fear of being judged as socially inadequate
Ironically, these fears act to accentuate physical and cognitive symptoms of anxiety, reducing social performance and reinforcing self defeating fears.
Social phobia or social anxiety untreated can often lead to depression, isolation from family and friends, excessive use of alcohol or other drugs to cope with the feelings of anxiety at times leading to drug or alcohol dependence, misuse of non prescription drugs, curtailed education and employment opportunities and suicidal thoughts.