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What is Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder)?
Social Phobia, or Social Anxiety Disorder, is an anxiety disorder characterized by overwhelming anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations. 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 a person experiences symptoms almost anytime they are around other people.
Signs and Symptoms:
- persistent, intense, and chronic fear of being watched and judged by others and being embarrassed or humiliated by their own actions
- fear of being watched and judged may be so severe that it interferes with work or school, and other ordinary activities
- physical symptoms often accompany the intense anxiety of social phobia and include blushing, profuse sweating, trembling, nausea, and difficulty talking
About 2.6% of U.S. adults ages 18 to 54 (= 5.3 million people) have Social Anxiety during the course of a given year.
Treatment (combination of psychotherapy and medication(s) may be helpful):
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cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT): learning how to identify, evaluate and modify distorted cognition by changing thoughts and behaviors can help the patient manage anxiety more effectively
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exposure therapy: a person with Social Anxiety may be encouraged to spend time in feared social situations without giving in to the temptation to flee. In some cases the individual with Social Anxiety will be asked to deliberately make what appear to be slight social blunders and observe other people's reactions; if they are not as harsh as expected, the person's Social Anxiety may begin to fade.
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medications: some of the medications that have been used to treat Social Anxiety include:
- fluoxetine (Prozac)
- sertraline (Zoloft)
- fluvoxamine (Luvox)
- paroxetine (Paxil)
- citalopram (Celexa)
- escitalopram (Lexapro)
- venlafaxine (Effexor)
- imipramine (Tofranil)
- phenelzine (Nardil)
- lorazepam (Ativan)
- diazepam (Valium)
- alprazolam (Xanax)
- clonazepam (Klonopin)
- propranolol (Inderal)
- Ask your doctor to tell you about the effects and side effects of the medication he or she is prescribing.
- Tell your doctor about any alternative therapies or over-the-counter medications you are using.
- Ask your doctor when and how the medication will be stopped. Some medications cannot safely be discontinued abruptly; they have to be tapered slowly under a physician's supervision.
- Be aware that some medications are effective only as long as they are taken regularly, and symptoms may occur again when the medications are discontinued.
- Work together with your doctor to determine the right dosage of the right medication to treat Social Anxiety.
Reference: National Institute of Mental Health