What is Social Anxiety Disorder, and How Can It Be Managed?

Understanding Social Anxiety Disorder or Social Phobia

Social anxiety disorder is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by persistent and exaggerated fear of social situations (such as meeting strangers, dating, or public speaking) in which embarrassment or a negative judgment by others may occur and that causes significant distress, often resulting in an avoidance of such situations and impairment of normal social or occupational activities

The essential feature of social anxiety disorder is marked, or intense, fear or anxiety of social situations in which the individual may be scrutinized by others.

Social anxiety or social phobia can have a negative impact on the quality of life as the person may become withdrawn and socially inactive by constantly avoiding situations and events that require him/her to interact with people.

Signs of Social Anxiety Disorder

There are several symptoms of social anxiety disorder, the most common and prominent ones being:

● Constantly afraid of being judged by the people around

● Constantly worried about embarrassing yourself

● Extreme stress and fear about talking to people, especially unknown people

● Body consciousness

● Excessive blushing, sweating, shaking and speaking in a trembling voice

● Always trying to avoid situations that require meeting and interacting with people

● Always trying to avoid public speaking

● Always expecting the most terrible result from a social interaction such as an interview or first date

Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder

There are several ways to treat social anxiety. Here are six types of treatment to consider.

● Medication

Visit a doctor, psychiatrist or in some cases even a psychologist when experiencing above mentioned symptoms persistently. Same medications don’t work well for everyone, so basis an individual’s psychological and emotional make-up, the doctor will prescribe necessary medication to relieve their symptoms.

● Herbal Remedies

Herbs those are generally good for anxiety can help social anxiety too. Some of the herbs include:

a. Chamomile

b. Lemon balm

c. Lavender

d. Holy basil

e. Kava

f. Ashwagandha

g. Passionflower

● Homeopathic Remedies

Homeopathic treatments focuses on helping the body heal itself and they can be used to treat social anxiety.

● Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy uses techniques that help to change the way a person thinks and behaves. For social anxiety, the goal is to help you evaluate and change your negative thoughts about social situations. One specific type of CBT that can help with social anxiety is exposure therapy. This modality involves gradually exposing a person to social situations they fear while providing emotional support and suggesting ways to deal with those fears.

● Interpersonal Therapy

This is a three-phase intervention that can be used successfully to treat social anxiety. The first phase is identifying the interpersonal problem areas in life. The second phase is addressing those problems and the third phase is talking about what's changed and planning for the end of therapy.

● Psychodynamic Therapy

In this therapy method, therapist may spend some time educating on what social phobia is and why it isn't your fault. They'll help you put aside feelings of shame and stop placing unrealistic demands on yourself. At the same time, they'll encourage you to face social situations rather than avoiding them.