Social Phobia

Feeling shy in social gatherings every now and then is normal, but in the case of social phobia, the person can’t stand being around people.

Social phobia

Social phobia, or social anxiety disorder, means that the person isn’t able to stay in social situations due to the excessive feelings of anxiety and fear. These social situations include meeting new people, having phone calls, using public restrooms, performing in front of people, asking strange people for anything, and eating in front of people.

Social anxiety disorder is the third most common mental health disorder after substance use disorder and depression, and it affects about 5-10% of the population worldwide.

Causes and risk factors leading to social phobia

Social phobia probably occurs due to a combination of environmental and biological factors. They might include:

• Brain structure: There is an area in the brain that’s responsible for the fear response, and it’s thought that the over-activation of this area plays a role in developing social anxiety disorder.
• Inherited traits: It’s been observed that social phobia runs in families.
• Environment: Some people might learn social phobia from others.

The following factors increase the risk of social anxiety disorder:

• Family history.
• Going through negative experiences during childhood, such as bullying, teasing, humiliation, rejection, and terrible incidents like family conflicts or abuse.
• When someone has a certain problem with their appearance that draws the attention of others, such as facial disfigurement.

Symptoms of social phobia

Patients with social anxiety disorder might suffer from emotional and physical symptoms:

• Feeling scared from situations in which the person might be negatively judged.
• Panicking from speaking to strangers and communicating with them.
• Having concerns that the person might humiliate or embarrass themselves.
• Feeling awkward or shy when there are people around.
• Avoiding speaking to people or doing anything with them.
• Avoiding situations in which the person might be the center of attention.
• Extreme fear from participating in social events.
• Always expecting the worst consequences from any experience.
• Experiencing physical symptoms, such as having a stiff body posture when being with others, blushing, sweating, increased heartbeat, dizziness, feeling that the mind is blank, upset stomach, nausea, difficulty catching breath, and muscle tension.
• Having a hard time doing regular things, such as going to work or school, dating, attending social gatherings, eating in front of people, using a public restroom, making eye contact, and starting conversations.

Complications of social phobia

If not managed, social anxiety disorder could cause:

• Low self-esteem.
• Social isolation.
• Not being able to make a social relationship.
• Falling back in study or work.
• Being oversensitive.
• Substance abuse.
• Suicidal thoughts and attempts.

Diagnosis of social phobia

• Physical exam.
• Psychological evaluation.
• Discussing the symptoms.

Treatment of social phobia

• Psychotherapy.
• Medications.