Social phobia, also known as social anxiety disorder
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25215853112770TOPIC REPORT
Social Phobia
450000TOPIC REPORT
Social Phobia
Table of Contents
TOC o “1-3” h z u HYPERLINK l “_Toc405610132” Introduction PAGEREF _Toc405610132 h 1
HYPERLINK l “_Toc405610133” Demographic Indicators PAGEREF _Toc405610133 h 1
HYPERLINK l “_Toc405610134” Symptoms PAGEREF _Toc405610134 h 2
HYPERLINK l “_Toc405610135” Causes PAGEREF _Toc405610135 h 2
HYPERLINK l “_Toc405610136” Experience PAGEREF _Toc405610136 h 3
HYPERLINK l “_Toc405610137” Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc405610137 h 4
HYPERLINK l “_Toc405610138” References PAGEREF _Toc405610138 h 5
Introduction
Social phobia, also known as social anxiety disorder, is a psychiatric disorder characterized by anxiety about being in public or social gatherings. People with social phobia have an intense fear of being judged by others and of doing something that will humiliate or embarrass them. They become extremely self-conscious and anxious during everyday social situations, which makes it difficult to make and maintain healthy relationships. Although this disorder sounds similar to being shy, people who suffer from social phobia have physical reactions such as nausea, sweating, and dizziness when put in social situations. Shy people tend to feel uncomfortable in the same situations, but are able to handle them without any physical reactions (Alfano, et al,. 2010).
Demographic Indicators
Social phobia is the most common anxiety disorder in the United Arab Emirates, with approximately 20,000 people affected by it each year. According to the A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia, “It can be limited to one situation (such as talking to people, eating or drinking, or writing on a blackboard in front of others) (Crippa et al,. 2011). Or, it may be so broad (such as in generalized social phobia) that the person experiences anxiety around almost everyone other than family members”. This disorder can occur at any time or age, but it usually starts during adolescence. The symptoms are the same for most people, whether they have just been diagnosed or if they’ve suffered from social phobia for years. These symptoms include severe anxiety in social situations, avoiding interaction with other people, and fear of being in a social environment. Some physical symptoms can occur such as blushing, sweating, shaking, dizziness, upset stomach, nausea, muscle tension, fast heartbeat, diarrhea and difficulty speaking.
Symptoms
People with social phobia experience fear during social situations and sometimes a panic attack is the result of that fear. When a panic attack occurs, it initiates the “fight or flight” system in the body which is the body’s way of protecting itself during a threatening situation. The body’s response to anxiety is similar to its response to fear (Hofmann, Sawyer, Witt & Oh, 2010). This response is automatically “hard wired” in the brain and it includes defensive behaviors, autonomic arousal, hyperalgesia, potentiation of somatic reflexes, and activation of the stress axis through the hypothalamic pituitary-adrenal axis. According to The Neurobiology of Anxiety Disorders, a traumatic experience is imprinted in a person through “the emotional circuits through the amygdala, capturing the full emotional memory of the experience”. It also states that, “associated cues are stored through the declarative memory circuits involving the hippocampus”. These associated cues serve as a trigger for a traumatic memory, which in return makes the person fearful in response to them. Because of this, most people with social phobia do not leave their house unless it is absolutely necessary. Simple tasks such as going to the grocery store or dining out would instill fear into people who suffer from this disorder. In some cases, only one situation causes the anxiety, but most of the time social phobia affects every situation in the person’s life (Hofmann, Sawyer, Witt & Oh, 2010).
Causes
The cause of social phobia cannot be determined by one single factor. There are numerous factors which can lead to the development of this disorder. People can inherit social phobia from their families or get it due to an imbalance of serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain. A study done on the effects of social anxiety on children with socially anxious mothers found that, “compared to children of non-anxious mothers, children of mothers with social phobia were significantly more likely to give anxiously negative responses in their school” (Fyer et al,. 1999). Another cause of social phobia arises from humiliating past experiences or from witnessing someone else go through a humiliating or embarrassing experience. For example, “a child who has been bullied for an extended period of time, be it months or years, suffers from many serious long-term effects” (Fyer et al,. 1999). In extreme cases when social phobia develops from this, “the fear becomes so great they cannot function in school” (Piet, Hougaard, Hecksher & Rosenberg, 2010). Sometimes, sheltered children get social phobia because their parents didn’t allow them to be in social situations growing up. As you can see, there are many causes of this disorder which makes it difficult to determine the exact reason behind it.
Experience One of my biggest fears is speaking in public. When I speak in front of a crowd, my face turns red and I begin sweating immediately. I can’t imagine feeling that way on a daily basis during ordinary tasks such as going to work or riding the bus (Piet, Hougaard, Hecksher & Rosenberg, 2010). Everyone knows how it feels to be embarrassed or humiliated. If I felt that way in everyday social situations, I would never want to leave the house either. Sadly, there is no quick treatment for this disorder. The only thing available is therapy and anti-anxiety or antidepressant medications. The outcome is usually good after people receive treatment, but most people who have this disorder wait an average of ten years before they seek help. Another downfall of social phobia is the tendency people have to use alcohol or other drugs in order to relax during social gatherings. Being that alcohol and drugs help to relax, people with social phobia are at higher risk of developing a drug dependency. In order to achieve the best treatment results, doctors suggest seeking help as soon as symptoms occur (Swinson et al,. 2001).
Conclusion
Social phobia is a common problem facing many people today. Overcoming social phobia is a difficult task, but it can be accomplished through the appropriate treatment. We need to ensure we support those who are struggling with this disorder and encourage them to seek help as soon as possible. We also need to remain educated about this disorder and be sympathetic to what these people are going through. People suffering from social phobia are afraid, self-conscious, and hard on themselves. As WebMD.com states, they fear “they will make mistakes, look bad, and be embarrassed or humiliated in front of others”. It reminds me of the quote by Malcolm S. Forbes which states, “too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are”. Our role should be to reinforce the positive attributes of all the people in our lives.
ReferencesBeidel, D. C., Rao, P. A., Scharfstein, L., Wong, N., & Alfano, C. A. (2010). Social skills and social phobia: an investigation of DSM-IV subtypes.Behaviour research and therapy, 48(10), 992-1001.
Bergamaschi, M. M., Queiroz, R. H. C., Chagas, M. H. N., de Oliveira, D. C. G., De Martinis, B. S., Kapczinski, F., … & Crippa, J. A. S. (2011). Cannabidiol reduces the anxiety induced by simulated public speaking in treatment-naive social phobia patients. Neuropsychopharmacology, 36(6), 1219-1226.
Hofmann, S. G., Sawyer, A. T., Witt, A. A., & Oh, D. (2010). The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on anxiety and depression: A meta-analytic review.Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 78(2), 169.
Lipsitz, J. D., Markowitz, J. C., Cherry, S., & Fyer, A. J. (1999). Open trial of interpersonal psychotherapy for the treatment of social phobia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 156(11), 1814-1816.
Piet, J., Hougaard, E., Hecksher, M. S., & Rosenberg, N. K. (2010). A randomized pilot study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy and group cognitive‐behavioral therapy for young adults with social phobia. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51(5), 403-410.
Van Ameringen, M. A., Lane, R. M., Walker, J. R., Bowen, R. C., Chokka, P. R., Goldner, E. M., … & Swinson, R. P. (2001). Sertraline treatment of generalized social phobia: a 20-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.American Journal of Psychiatry, 158(2), 275-281.
