What
is Social Anxiety Disorder?
Do you have intense
feelings of discomfort and fear when in social situations? You may have
social
anxiety disorder.
Social anxiety disorder affects millions of people around the world and
varies greatly from person to person. It’s hard to pin down
the
exact symptoms of social anxiety disorder, however, some common signs
that you may have this disorder include a number of fears.
If your fears reflect the following: fear that all
attention is
on you, fear of making mistakes, fear of judgment, fear that everyone
is better than you, fear of humiliating yourself, or fear that everyone
sees your flaws. These fears may or may not cause panic
attacks, but always cause intense anxiety.
Anxiety may lead to shaking, a pounding heart, blushing, sweating,
stammering, nausea, and dizziness.
Shyness is not the same as social anxiety disorder. While you may feel
shy in certain situations, social anxiety disorder is physically
debilitating to a person experiencing it. In fact, social anxiety
disorder may take over a person’s life if left untreated.
This disorder usually starts from childhood or early adulthood and can
affect everyone, regardless of race, religion, or gender, although
women are more likely to develop this disorder than men.
Social anxiety disorder is often found in conjunction with other
anxiety disorders. It is also common for a person with social anxiety
disorder to try to treat it using drugs or alcohol, which will in turn
lead to substance abuse.
However, it is important to know that if you find social settings
unbearable, you can get help. A doctor will be able to help you treat
your social anxiety disorder so that you can live a normal life instead
of being paralyzed by fear.
Therapy and medication can help you work through this disorder so that
you can live a healthy and socially active life. Often, medication
works best in conjunction with other types
of therapy treatments.