What is social anxiety disorder?!
Question: Is it exactly how it sounds? I also want to know the symptoms. There's a reason why I'm asking this but you should be smart enough to figure out the peices.
Answers: Is it exactly how it sounds? I also want to know the symptoms. There's a reason why I'm asking this but you should be smart enough to figure out the peices.
social anxiety disorder is hwere you get really nervous around people.. usually happens when you are around a bunch of people you odnt knot or when you are in a strange or different place... symptoms would be:
sweating,
hyperventalation(breathing really fast) which if this happens your fingers and toes and feet may become numb, tingleing or even draw up.
dizzyness, headache
feeling like you are going to pass out
I too, have a little bit of social anxiety disorder. MY doctor told me that I can get small to severe ANXIETY attacks or panic attacks when I'm in a SOCIAL event or place. Symptoms are getting antsy and frustrated easily when you are in crowded places that you might not find the most organized. Panic attacks or anxiety attacks; hyperventalating.
Social phobia (DSM-IV 300.23), also known as social anxiety disorder is a diagnosis within psychiatry and other mental health professions referring to excessive social anxiety causing relatively extreme distress and impaired ability to function in at least some areas of daily life. The diagnosis can be of a specific disorder (when only some particular situations are feared) or a generalized disorder. Generalized social anxiety disorder typically involves a persistent, intense, and chronic fear of being judged by others and of potentially being embarrassed or humiliated by their own actions. These fears can be triggered by perceived or actual scrutiny by others. While the fear of social interaction may be recognized by the person as excessive or unreasonable, considerable difficulty can be encountered overcoming it. Approximately 13.3 percent of the general population may meet criteria for social anxiety disorder at some point in their lifetime, according to the highest survey estimate, with the male to female ratio being 1:1.5.[1]
Physical symptoms often accompanying social anxiety disorder include excessive blushing, sweating (hyperhidrosis), trembling, palpitations, nausea, and stammering. Panic attacks may also occur under intense fear and discomfort. An early diagnosis may help in minimizing the symptoms and the development of additional problems such as depression. Some sufferers may use alcohol or other drugs to reduce fears and inhibitions at social events.
A person with the disorder may be treated with psychotherapy, medication, or both. Research has shown cognitive behavior therapy, whether individually or in a group, to be effective in treating social phobia. The cognitive and behavioral components seek to change thought patterns and physical reactions to anxious situations. Prescribed medications includes two classes of antidepressants: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Attention given to social anxiety disorder has significantly increased in the US since 1999 with the approval and marketing of drugs for its treatment.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, social phobia is a persistent fear of one or more situations in which the person is exposed to possible scrutiny by others and fears that he or she may do something or act in a way that will be humiliating or embarrassing. [2] For one to be socially phobic, exposure to the feared situation must provoke anxiety and the person must recognize this anxiety as irrational (although this may be absent in children). If another disorder is present, the social phobic fear is unrelated to it. For instance, if a person has a history of panic attacks, having a panic attack must not be the sufferer's fear. Sufferers are typically more self-conscious and self-attentive than others. [3] As a result, social phobics tend to limit or remove themselves from situations where they may be subject to evaluation. Sufferers often recognize their fear is excessive or irrational, yet can't seem to break out of the cycle. As such, the diagnosis of social phobia is made only when the fear leads to avoiding occupational functions, social activities, or relationships with others.[4]
Mental health professionals often distinguish between generalized and specific social anxiety disorders. People with generalized social anxiety have great distress with most or all social situations. A study by Stanford University[citation needed] established that distress was more likely when social encounters were unfamiliar, involved power or status differences, difference in gender, or the presence of a group of people. Those with specific social phobias may experience anxiety only in a few situations.[5] For example the most common specific social phobia is glossophobia, the fear of public speaking or fear of performance, known as stage fright. Other examples of specific social phobias include fears of writing in public (scriptophobia) and using public restrooms (paruresis).
There is much debate concerning the relationship between social phobia and shyness. Shyness is not a criterion for social anxiety disorder. People with social anxiety disorder may be quite comfortable with certain people or many people, but still feel intense anxiety in specific social situations. Child psychologist Samuel Turner provides a summary between shyness and social phobia. Both share several features: negative cognitions in social situations, heightened physiological reactivity, a tendency to avoid social situations, and deficits in social skills. Negative cognitions include fear of negative evaluation, self-consciousness, devaluation of social skills, self-deprecating thoughts, and self-blaming attributions for social difficulties. Social phobia is distinct from shyness in that it has a lower prevalence in the population, follows a more chronic course, is more functionally debilitating, and has a later age of onset. There are problems with these kinds of comparisons. It may be that the differences between them are quantitative rather than qualitative.[6] There are some that argue that shyness is mistakenly treated with medication intended for social phobia, effectively labeling the personality trait a mental illness.[7]
Social phobia should not be confused with panic disorder. Sufferers of panic disorder are sometimes convinced that their panic comes from some dire physical cause, and often go to the hospital or call for an ambulance during or after their attacks. Social phobics may experience a panic attack when triggered, but they are aware that it is extreme anxiety they are experiencing, and that the cause is an irrational fear. Few social phobics would willingly go to a hospital in that instance because they fear rejection and judgment by authority figures (such as the medical staff). The general form of social anxiety is sometimes incorrectly called generalized anxiety disorder. The principal difference between the two is that the social phobia deals with anxiety in a social setting, while generalized anxiety disorder is extreme anxiety for any situation (work, school, et al.), not necessarily one involving other people.
[edit] Symptoms
[edit] Cognitive aspects
In cognitive models of Social Anxiety Disorder, social phobics experience dread over how they will be presented to others. They may be overly self-conscious, pay high self-attention after the activity, or have high performance standards for themselves. According to the social psychology theory of self-presentation, a sufferer attempts to create a well-mannered impression on others but believes he or she is unable to do so. Many times, prior to the potentially anxiety-provoking social situation, sufferers may deliberate over what could go wrong and how to deal with each unexpected case. After the event, they may have the perception they performed unsatisfactorily. Consequently, they will review anything that may have possibly been abnormal or embarrassing. These thoughts do not just terminate soon after the encounter, but may extend for weeks or longer.[8] Those with social phobia tend to interpret neutral or ambiguous conversations with a negative outlook and although still inconclusive, some studies suggest that socially anxious individuals remember more negative memories than those less distressed.[9] An example of an instance may be that of an employee presenting to his co-workers. During the presentation, the person may stutter a word upon which he or she may worry that other people significantly noticed and think that he or she is a terrible presenter. This cognitive thought propels further anxiety which may lead to further stuttering, sweating and a possible panic attack. Recent studies have also shown that a subject with social anxiety might find their average peers to be ignorant, immoral, shallow, and/or mean. A "blank mind" defect can also be observed in many subjects, although research on this topic is still under way.
[edit] Behavioral aspects
Social anxiety disorder is a persistent fear of one or more situations in which the person is exposed to possible scrutiny by others and fears that he or she may do something or act in a way that will be humiliating or embarrassing. It exceeds normal "shyness" as it leads to excessive social avoidance and substantial social or occupational impairment. Feared activities may include almost any type of social interaction, especially small groups, dating, parties, talking to strangers, restaurants, etc. Physical symptoms include "mind going blank", fast heartbeat, blushing, stomach ache. Cognitive distortions are a hallmark, and learned about in CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy). Thoughts are often self-defeating and inaccurate.
The groundless fear of the telephone is typical, both calling somebody and answering the phone. It may appear early in childhood.
According to psychologist B.F. Skinner, phobias are controlled by escape and avoidance behaviors. For instance, a student may leave the room when talking in front of the class (escape) and refrain from doing verbal presentations because of the previously encountered anxiety attack (avoid). Minor avoidance behaviors are exposed when a person avoids eye contact and crosses arms to avoid recognizable shaking.[9] A fight-or-flight response is then triggered in such events. Preventing these automatic responses is at the core of treatment for social anxiety.
[edit] Physiological aspects
Physiological effects, similar to those in other anxiety disorders, are present in social phobics. Faced with an uncomfortable situation, children with social anxiety may display tantrums, weeping, clinging to parents, and shutting themselves out.[10] In adults, it may be tears as well as experiencing excessive sweating, nausea, shaking, and palpitations as a result of the fight-or-flight r
All anxiety disorders are terrifying for the people who experience them.
Attacks can be brought on by many types of situations... a social anxiety attack can be brought on by being in crowds. or in crowded situations. This is actually a very common form of anxiety disorder..
It is normal to have some panic or anxiety attacks... but if you have frequent panic or anxiety attacks and the fear of having another attack causes you to limit your activities, you may have a panic disorder.
A panic attack is a sudden episode of terror during which you may also experience one or more of the following symptoms.
- racing heartbeat
- chest pain
- dizziness
- nausea
- difficulty breathing
- sweating
- fear of death
- tingling or numbness in the hands
- a sense of dreaminess or distortions in perception
- fear of losing control
Treatment for panic disorder is usually very successful. Sometimes certain forms of psychotherapy are used. And sometimes with medication.