Most people experience some uneasiness and stress when meeting new people, for
example during job interviews, or performing in front of an audience. But this
anxiety is quite normal. However, for some people, these feelings are
excessive, intense, and chronic.
Social anxiety disorder or social phobia is a very common anxiety disorder. It
is characterized by the following features.
-
Fear of social interactions or performance in front of an audience. A person
may fear observation or scrutiny by others. For example, engaging in public
speaking or addressing a committee.
-
Fear of being judged or rejected socially due to symptoms of
anxiety
-
Fear or anxiety experienced is out of proportion to the actual social
context
-
Due to fear or anxiety experienced, social situations are either avoided or
endured uncomfortably.
Social anxiety tends to interfere significantly with one’s functioning
in school, workplace, and social situations. This condition is associated with
decreased levels of quality of life and well-being. People suffering from
social anxiety often come across as shy, withdrawn, unassertive, avoidant of
eye contact, and rigid in body posture. They may choose vocations that do not
require significant social contact. Usually, the fear is about being
negatively evaluated by others or making a fool of oneself in public.
Social situations that are avoided could include using a public bathroom,
addressing a meeting, giving presentations, striking conversations with
relatively lesser-known people or strangers, forming new romantic
relationships, etc. Past childhood negative experiences such as bullying,
negative temperament, and family heredity are some of the risk factors
associated with this disorder. Adolescents and young adults are more
susceptible to developing this condition. Both males and females are diagnosed
with this condition with equal frequency.
The assessment and diagnosis of social phobia is done by trained professionals
such as
psychiatrists and clinical psychologists . In-depth clinical history including current issues
and the development of symptoms is key to a reliable diagnosis.
Treatment Models
Psychosocial Interventions: Psychosocial interventions
for social phobia are based on the cognitive-behavioral perspective. In this
model, intense fear and
anxiety are believed to be rooted in maladaptive patterns of thought and
action that have developed over time. The following strategies are suggested
treatment methods:
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Exposure Strategies: Through repeated exposure to feared situations, an
individual is guided to manage the attributions they attach to the stimulus.
The
Experts and client generate a list of feared situations. Each of these
situations is addressed gradually by helping an individual become more
comfortable with them.
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Cognitive therapy: Maladaptive thoughts and associated actions become the
central focus of this therapy. Individuals in cognitive therapy are assisted
in identifying underlying thought patterns related to the fear of social
situations. This is followed by analyzing evidence for the older patterns of
thinking, in order to devise behavioral strategies to improve coping.
-
Social skills training: Social skills training is based on the premise that
socially phobic individuals have weak skills related to effective social
interactions4. Thus, various ways of improving social performance
are taught. For example, certain behaviors or reactions are rehearsed in the
therapy setting before applying in social settings.
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Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Relaxation training focuses on alleviating
the physical arousal accompanied by social anxiety. In a typical relaxation
session, an individual is guided to relax each muscle group with different
intervals for tensing and relaxing4.
Pharmacological Treatments: Currently applied modes of
pharmacological management of social anxiety include the use of selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), benzodiazepines, and monoamine oxidase
inhibitors amongst other medications. Prescribed only under medical
supervision, such management of social phobia has been found to be successful
in symptom relief.
Social phobia is one of the most successfully treated anxiety disorders. At
HopeQure you can get easily accessibleOnline Counselling for social phobia. It has been found to respond well
to psychosocial and pharmacological treatment.
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