Social Anxiety: What You Need To Know

Social anxiety affects approximately 15 million people in the United States yearly, making it the THIRD LARGEST mental health problem in the country today. However, compared to other mental health disorders, social anxiety is not as yet well understood by both the public and the medical profession.

Studies on anxiety, as it relates to social situations are insufficient; in fact, about 90% of people who suffer from the disorder are misdiagnosed. The disorder has often been mistaken for panic disorder, clinical depression, schizophrenia, manic-depression, and other harmful misdiagnoses.

It often happens that a sufferer has never heard of people who share the illness that the person ends up thinking that he or she is the only one in the world with such a problem. This adds to their feelings of hopelessness and they try to suppress the symptoms, never telling anyone – which in turn leads to the illness growing worse.

Even if the sufferer does summon up enough courage to seek professional help, the relative dearth of knowledge on the subject could pose a difficulty in getting at a correct diagnosis, making the situation worse. This is compounded by the fact that this type of anxiety is unlikely to just disappear.

Secondary Signs of Social Anxiety

The signs that are associated with this disorder are often primary signs (e.g., trembling, nausea, profuse sweating, etc.) that occur as the illness progresses. However, there are also secondary signs that have to be addressed, especially as they occur early on when the disorder is easier to deal with.

An example of a secondary sign is something as subtle as a fear of writing in public. The sufferer fears that the people around him are watching him and may see his hand shake. Another is an intense aversion to eating with other people.

The illness can also be manifested as an anxiety concentrated on a certain part of the sufferer's body, such as the neck. The person may feel that his neck looks particularly strange and if he exposes it, people will stare.

The thing that all people afflicted with social anxiety is this: they KNOW that their anxiety is irrational. They fully understand that other people are truly not as critical or judgmental as their anxiety shows, and yet they cannot stop themselves from feeling it.

Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the only treatment that has been proven by clinical research to be effective against this disorder. The cognitive-behavioral approach has in fact produced lifelong relief from social anxiety in a great number of patients.

What is most remarkable is that in most cases, patients with the disorder responded better to short periods of treatment rather than longer ones.

Patients CANNOT be counseled out of this disorder. Studies show that patients who were instructed to analyze their phobia only displayed MORE fear and anxiety! This in turn led to depression and hopelessness at ever being rid of the disorder.

Many affordable healthcare services are available throughout the United States. Free, subsidized services are even available through schools, nonprofit organizations, and clinical studies done by the National Institute of Mental Health.