Social Anxiety Disorder

It is normal to feel anxious when one needs to give a presentation in the public. However, with social anxiety disorder, any kind of social interaction may trigger anxiety and fear.

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Social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, is a mental health condition. The fear to perform activities in the public can affect work, school, and other day-to-day activities. Continue to read to learn more about social anxiety disorder!

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General information

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), social anxiety disorder is a common type of anxiety disorder. It is normal for a person with social anxiety disorder to feel anxious or scared when meeting new people, being on a job interview, answering a question in class, or even having to talk to a cashier in a store. Performing daily activities in front of people causes anxiety or fear constantly, because the person is afraid that he or she will be humiliated, judged, or rejected.

Some people with social anxiety disorder do not have anxiety in social situations, but instead, have performance anxiety. In this case, the person has no problem with interacting with people or making new friends, but when performing on stage, giving a speech, or participating in a sports game, the nervousness or anxiety will be triggered greatly, which can ultimately affect the performance.

Social anxiety disorder usually starts during youth in people who are extremely shy. Although it is not a common disorder in the United States, its symptoms can last for many years of a lifetime without proper treatment.

Symptoms

Below listed are some symptoms of social anxiety disorder (which typically occur when one has to perform in front of or be around of others):

• Blush, sweat, tremble, rapid heart rate, and feelings of “mind going blank”;

• Feeling nauseous or sick;

• Rigid body posture, little eye contact, and speaking with an overly soft voice

• Afraid of judgement

• Staying away from places where there are other people

• Being self-conscious and feeling embarrassed or awkward.

Causes

Researchers have found that several parts of the brain are involved in fear and anxiety. Sometimes social anxiety disorder can run in families. Moreover, it is likely that misreading other people’s language or actions can cause anxiety because of the feeling of being judged. Another cause of social anxiety disorder may be insufficient social skills, which makes one feel discouraged when talking to other people.

Treatments

In order to treat social anxiety disorder, talking to a health professional is important. In general, psychotherapy, finding support groups, and taking medication are helpful ways to treat social anxiety disorder.

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Hope this article helped you learn more about social anxiety disorder. Thanks for reading!

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Written by: Benetta Wang

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Source:

“NIMH » Social Anxiety Disorder: More Than Just Shyness.” NIMH, 30 Jan. 2021, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/social-anxiety-disorder-more-than-just-shyness/index.shtml.