Social Phobia: It Just Won’t Go Away

Learning to beat social phobia

In a world filled with human interaction there are millions of people who suffer from different types of social phobia. These fears run the gamut, from fear of public speaking (the number 1 fear of all people in the world, even more than the fear of death) to fears of using public restrooms or even eating in public.

Sometimes the fears are so pronounced as to prevent you from having a “normal life,” but most of the time these social phobias produce a general anxiousness that causes discomfort and is often categorized as Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder.

What is a Social Phobia?

Phobias are basically fears that present themselves in such a way as to prevent you from completing a task that normally holds no danger in most circumstances. For instance, often people have a fear of walking into a room filled with people even when everyone in the room is known to them. It is this type of fear that can cause you to become reclusive and disrupt your life.

There are many specific fears that can be listed as a social phobia but the best definition is a “persistent and irrational fear of situations involving the scrutiny and judgment of others such as seen is social gatherings.

Diagnosing a social phobia can often be frustrating for the patient as well as the medical professional. Being nervous before making a speech in front of a class or group may give you a case of the butterflies but that is usually just pure performance anxiety that usually disappears the minute you begin to speak.

However, if that same situation causes you to be physically ill, lose fine motor control, black out and produce heart palpitations to the extreme then you may be suffering from a form of this disorder. If the mere thought of stepping onto a crowded street causes you these same types of feelings then it may be time to seek treatment.

Let’s Get Technical about our Social Phobia

Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder is characterized by extreme fear of any type of social situation and is accompanied by distress and the inability to function in some part of your daily life. It is often exacerbated by the actual or perceived scrutiny of others that leads to severe inhibition or complete avoidance of all social events. Fears of this type are most commonly, and wrongly, self-treated by sufferers with alcohol or other drugs that lead to additional problems.

Self-destructive behavior is often the most telling problem that occurs from this type of social phobia. Overeating, drinking, illegal drugs are just some of the problems that severe sufferers encounter. Recognizing the need for treatment is easy but it is the social stigma of seeking treatment that compounds this fear and makes it grow into a true social disorder.

Treating a Social Phobia

Treatments for this type of disorder are currently very standard and include sessions with a therapist and medications to reduce the anxiety and depressing aspects of a social disorders. Behavioral therapy has also been utilized to treat both specific disorders as well as generalized issues.

Often treatment is the scariest part for patients as they know that in order to defeat a problem they must face the fear. Learning specific techniques for overcoming these issues is simple in the safety of your therapist’s office but when put into practice can often cause severe mental anguish. This makes it doubly important to seek treatment from a qualified professional who understands the needs to approach your social phobia treatment slowly and patiently.

 Baby steps usually do the trick but it still requires time to overcome the most severe social phobia.

Recommended Resource for coping with Social Phobia:  PANIC AWAY