Introduction

Social Anxiety Disorder is the fear of having social interactions and situations with other people. The disorder automatically gives one feelings of self-judgment, evaluation, inferiority, and consciousness. In other terms, social anxiety disorder is anxiety and fear of being evaluated and judged negatively by other individuals that surround the person. As we all know, being judged and evaluated adversely results to feelings of embarrassment, depression, humiliation, and inadequacy. If one feels good when they are alone and anxious or terrible when they are around other people, it is possible that they might be having a social anxiety disorder. The purpose of this paper is to keenly and interactively look at social anxiety disorder. Social Anxiety Disorder is a chronic mental disorder that affects millions of people around the world, but learning how to cope with it through medication or psychotherapy can be helpful in gaining the required confidence to improve on one’s social life.

Overview of Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety is the third greatest mental health care matter that needs to be looked at. It is normal for anyone to feel nervous in some social interactions (Spence & Rapee, 2016). Sometimes giving presentations or going on dates gives one butterflies in their stomach. However, in social phobia disorder, someone who suffers from it has fear, self-consciousness, embarrassment, and anxiety daily since they fear that other people will judge them. In this kind of disorder, tension and fear will result in avoidance that will disrupt someone’s life (Spence & Rapee, 2016). The stress that one experiences might hurt their daily routine, school activities and work.

Specific and Generalized Social Anxieties

Specific Social Anxiety is the fear of speaking in front of other people; mostly groups only. People who have generalized social anxiety are always nervous, uncomfortable and anxious in all social situations. Commonly, people who have social anxiety disorder suffer from generalized anxiety. When someone has anticipatory indecision, anxiety, embarrassment, worry, self-blame, and feelings of inferiority are involved mostly in someone’s personal life; there will be a generalized type of social anxiety.

Statistics of Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder is estimated to affect approximately more than 15 million adults in America. According to Shelton (n.d), the US National Comorbidity Survey reports that the disorder has a yearly rate of prevalence, of about 6.8 percent. This is the reason why the disorder is the third most prevalent mental illness in the United States and around the world. Additionally, the mental disorder is considered to be more common in females than males (Asher et al., 2017). However, regardless of their being treatments for the condition, very few people seek treatment. It is estimated that less than 5 % of the affected seek treatment even after realizing that they have it (Shelton, n.d). More than a third of individuals are known to report the symptoms of the condition 10 or even more years before they seek treatment. A study that was conducted discovered that 85 percent of the people can improve and even recover after being treated (Shelton, n.d).

Symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder

The symptoms of social anxiety disorder are divided into emotional, physical and behavioral symptoms.

1. Emotional Symptoms

The emotional symptoms of social anxiety disorder include high levels of fear and anxiety. A person who has the disorder is most likely to have nervousness which will hinder them from interacting with the people (MayoClinic, n.d). Another emotional symptom that one is likely to have been panic attacks especially when they are expected to present themselves in front of crowds of groups. One might even have negative emotional cycles as a result of the condition. Lastly, a person suffering from social anxiety will have dysmorphia regarding their body parts, mostly the face (MayoClinic, n.d).

1. Physical Symptoms

A person who has social anxiety is also likely to show physical symptoms. The first physical symptom is blushing where one is not even able to look at people directly in the eye; they will always be looking down or touching something like their phones. The nervousness that one experiences might result in an upset of the stomach which in many cases will lead to nausea and vomiting (MayoClinic, n.d). The anxiety and nervousness also result from fasting heart beating, which will lead to sweating, trembling and trouble catching a breath. Also, nervousness leads to muscle tension and dizziness.

1. Behavioral Symptoms

One of the behavioral symptoms is where one will be avoiding instances where they think that they may be the center of all the attention. Another behavioral symptom is avoiding engaging in certain activities since they fear that they might get embarrassed (MayoClinic, n.d). An individual who has the condition might show some behaviors like quitting their jobs or even dropping out of school so that they can stay alone (MayoClinic, n.d). Also, one might be suffering from social anxiety is they keep up behaviors of substance abuse or even excessive drinking.

How to Avoid Common Situations

There are common activities that may seem to be unbearable if one has a social anxiety disorder. Interacting with strangers or people that one is unfamiliar with are activities that are hard for someone who is socially anxious to endure (MayoClinic, n.d). Other activities that are difficult to endure are attending social gatherings or parties, going to school or work, starting conversations, making eye contact, dating,  entering a room whereby people have already settled down, eating in front of other people, returning items to a shop and going to a public restroom (NIH, n.d). These fears can change with time depending on the demands and the stress that one faces. Therefore, avoiding situations that make one anxious is essential as one can feel better. However, this is a short term thing, and the anxiety is likely to return and escalate over the long term if one does not get treated. One should see a mental health professional if the fear increases to a point where they fear normal situations due to worry and panic.

Causes of Social Anxiety Disorder

Just like every other mental illness, social phobia occurs as a result of complicated interactions of environmental and biological factors. One of the causes of social anxiety is traits that are inherited. The disorder tends to run through the family. Nevertheless, it is not clear on the rate in which the condition runs in the family due to the issue of genetics. The other cause of social phobia is the structure of the brain (Asher et al., 2017). In mind, there exists a structure known as amygdala that plays a role in controlling the response to fear. Individuals with active amygdala are likely to have a heightened reaction to fear, which results in anxiety that is increased in many social situations.

The environment plays a significant role in the development of social anxiety disorder. The disorder is considered to be a learned disorder since many people develop the state after they have had experiences that are not pleasant or situations that are embarrassing to them. Lastly, there is an association that exists between parents and the development of social anxiety in an individual. Parents are sometimes responsible for modeling anxious behaviors in their children. These parents tend to be over controlling, and overprotective in social situations that involve their children. These behaviors from parents instill fear in their children, and they, therefore, become socially anxious.

Risk Factors of Social Anxiety Disorder

Several factors increase the risk of developing social anxiety. The first risk factor for social anxiety is family history. If the biological family or siblings of an individual have social phobia, a person is more likely to develop it (MayoClinic, n.d). The second risk factor is the negative experiences that one has. For instance, people who experience rejection, teasing, bullying, humiliation, and ridicule when they are children are likely to develop antisocial social disorder as they grow up (MayoClinic, n.d). Also, other negative childhood experiences such as abuse, trauma, and family conflicts are associated with social anxiety disorder.

Temperament is another risk factor. Children who are withdrawn, timid, and shy when they are facing new people or situations are at a greater risk of having a social anxiety disorder. Work or new social demands are risk factors associated with social anxiety. The symptoms of social phobia begin to show when one is a teenager due to requirements like making a speech or meeting new people (MayoClinic, n.d). Lastly having a condition that draws attention like disfigurement in the face may trigger the social anxiety disorder in a lot of people.

Complications of Social Anxiety Disorder

When social anxiety illness is not treated on time, it can have adverse effects of the life of an individual, and end up ruining it. Nervousness and anxiety can interfere with someone’s enjoyment of life, relationships, work, and school. Social anxiety disorder will result in things like having low self-esteem. Another complication that may result from the disorder is one having trouble being assertive, hence one is not able to make independent decisions and is easily swayed by other people (Halldorson et al., 2018).

Some complications like holding negative self-talk may arise due to being socially anxious. Someone who has interactive phobia is likely to be extremely hypersensitive to criticism. As a result of the hypersensitivity to criticism, people are likely to develop poor social skills. Also, it is true that when people have anxiety, they are most likely to drop out of school and quit their work, which results in low employment and academic achievement. According to Black et al., 2017), social anxiety can lead to more social complications, where one will result in becoming alcoholic or even worse become suicidal. It is important to note that other mental health illnesses like substance abuse problems and depression occur together with a social anxiety disorder (Black et al., 2017).

Prevention of Social Anxiety Disorder

It is not possible to predict that one might develop the anxiety disorder, but one might take steps that decrease the effect of the symptoms if they are anxious. The first way that one can prevent social anxiety is by getting up early since just like other mental illnesses, social disorder can be difficult to treat if one waits (MayoClinic, n.d). Also, it can be helpful to keep a journal which helps one keep track of their private life. Keeping track of one’s private life assists one’s mental health to identify what causes them to stress and identify all that makes them feel better. Another way that one can reduce anxiety is by prioritizing issues in their life. One can reduce anxiety by managing their energy and time carefully. This can be achieved by ensuring that one does things that they enjoy doing.

Additionally, one needs to avoid taking unhealthy substances such as alcohol, if they want to prevent the social anxiety disorder. Drug use can also cause or even worse, worsen the condition if one has anxiety. If one cannot quit substance abuse on their own, it would be helpful if they visited their doctor or join support groups and support programs.

Diagnostic Criteria of Social Anxiety Disorder

A medical practitioner, preferably a physician is most likely to carry out physical evaluation together with the psychiatric examination. Physical examination is meant to help the doctor rule out the probability that there been physical causes for the signs and symptoms (NIH, n.d). A person who is suspected of social anxiety is most likely to be referred to a mental health professional preferably a psychologist or a psychiatrist. The doctor will ask the individual suspected to have social phobia to describe the symptoms that they experience when they occur and how often do they happen (NIH, n.d). A doctor will then request their patient to fill the questionnaire that they have been given.

In the United States, signs and symptoms must meet the statistical and diagnostic manual procedure for anxiety before a doctor can give their diagnosis. The symptoms include avoiding instances that produce anxiety; a persistent nervousness when it comes to social situations where one thinks that they will be humiliated; disproportionate and excessive anxiety situations; a great deal of anxiety that is as a result of life situations (NIH, n.d).

Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder

Treatments of social anxiety assist individuals in gaining confidence and controlling the symptoms of the condition. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Medications are important and considered to be the most effective treatments.

1. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is considered to be a successful treatment for people who have social phobia. The type of therapy is a system of treatment that involves a focus on thinking and how it influences both feelings and behaviors. According to Goldin et al., (2016) CBT that is specific on social anxiety focuses on changing the thoughts, practices, attitudes, and beliefs of individuals in the manner that they relate to social situations. CBT challenges the patients to replace the attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors that they have which allows new thinking patterns to become automatic (Goldin et al., 2016). CBT involves attending group therapy with other people who have also been diagnosed with the disorder.

1. Medication

Medication as a form of treatment is a useful method of treatment for people with the social disorder but not all of them. Research shows that using anti-anxiety medication like benzodiazepines together with cognitive-behavioral therapy is effective (Goldin et al., 2017). However, only CBT can be able to change the associations of the neuropathways in the brain permanently; the reason why medication alone is not long-term effective for people with social anxiety.

Conclusion

Social phobia is a common chronic illness that is under-recognized even though it is very disabling. Social anxiety is characterized by fear and nervousness when it comes to having social interactions. The condition can, however, be prevented before it worsens. Social anxiety is a treatable condition that is well treated by the use of cognitive-behavioral therapies. The effect that the treatment has is strikingly essential even for the people who have had the condition for many years.

References

Asher, M., Asnaani, A., & Aderka, I. M. (2017). Gender differences in social anxiety disorder: A review. Clinical psychology review, 56, 1-12.

Black, J. J., Clark, D. B., Martin, C. S., Kim, K. H., Blaze, T. J., Creswell, K. G., & Chung, T. (2015). Course of alcohol symptoms and social anxiety disorder from adolescence to young adulthood. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 39(6), 1008-1015.

Goldin, P. R., Morrison, A., Jazaieri, H., Brozovich, F., Heimberg, R., & Gross, J. J. (2016). Group CBT versus MBSR for social anxiety disorder: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 84(5), 427.

Halldorsson, B., Draisey, J., Cooper, P., & Creswell, C. (2018). Symptoms of social anxiety, depression, and stress in parents of children with social anxiety disorder. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 57(2), 148-162.

MayoClinic, (n.d). Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/social-anxiety-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20353561

NIH, (n.d). Social Anxiety Disorder: More Than Just Shyness. National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/social-anxiety-disorder-more-than-just-shyness/index.shtml

Spence, S. H., & Rapee, R. M. (2016). The etiology of social anxiety disorder: An evidence-based model. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 86, 50-67.