What is Social Anxiety Disorder and how can it affects your life?

What is Social Anxiety Disorder?  

Social anxiety disorder or social phobia is a mental disorder when a person in his subconscious mind thinks of embarrassing himself every time he wants to interact with people in the outside world.

Simply it is a phobia or fear of being harshly and negatively judged by other people which completely isolate a person from society.

Social Anxiety Disorder or Social Phobia 

While on the other hand, many of us feel a little nervousness anytime we confront a group of people in schools colleges or anywhere we need to deliver a message to people. But that doesn’t mean we are suffering from social anxiety because this is completely a normal thing which can be handled smoothly with time.

Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms: 

The victim of social phobia can be known through some manifestations whenever he/she talks to someone like

• Fast heartbeat
• Sweating
• Blushing
• Dizziness
• Trouble controlling breath
• Feel like out of mind
• Trembling or shaky hands or feet

And many things like these could happen if someone is suffering from social anxiety.

Causes of Social Anxiety Disorder: 

Most of the researchers can’t figure out the exact reason behind the revealing of social anxiety in a person. But there are some reasons that should give birth to its emergence like

• Bullying in schools or colleges
• Parents or siblings conflicts
• Sexual abuse
• Physical inabilities in a person
• Imbalance of serotonin i-e a chemical that assists regulation of mood
• Being raised in a too much strict or controlling environment
• Overactive Amygdala i-e controls fear, thoughts and feelings responses
• It isn’t a clear fact yet that a child could affect from one of the parents that are the victim of social anxiety.

And a lot more reasons that could lead to exposure of social anxiety in a person.

Social Anxiety Disorder Statistics: 

Research shows the exposure of women to such mental disorder more than men because of having multiple psychiatric disorders throughout their life. The most dangerous thing about social anxiety is that most of the people unaware that they are suffering from this mental disease.

Approximately 1 out of 8 people of the Irish adults are suffering from social anxiety which makes 13.7% of the entire Irish adult population.

Social anxiety is the 3rd or 4th common mental diseases found in people. Within the United States, it’s the 3rd immense mental problem after alcoholic dependence and depression.

Social Anxiety Disorder Treatment: 

There are several common things that could be very difficult to endure when you have social anxiety. But this could be very important for a victim of fear anxiety which will feel them much better like

• Facing your fear which is the most important thing to do
• Going to parties, joining the social gathering
• Dating
• Making eye contact while talking to someone
• Seeing a therapist
• Openly eating in front of people
• Regular attending school and work
• Challenging your thoughts that stops you from doing things
• Learning some relaxation exercises and techniques
• Taking medications for it
• Interacting with unfamiliar people while traveling, in cafes or anywhere
• Entering a place full of already seated people
• Returning things for exchanging at stores
• Using public places for rest or anything

These things could be hard for a person with social phobia at first but a little inconvenience is much better than lifetime depression, crying and embarrassments.

Originally Published on Everyday Science