According to NIMH, Social Phobia, also called social anxiety, is a disorder characterized by overwhelming anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations. People with social phobia have a persistent, intense, and chronic fear of being watched and judged by others and of being embarrassed or humiliated by their own actions.
Social Phobia may start during early adolescence, or sometimes younger. As with other phobia, an event which may have happened during childhood or adolescence may have triggered this intense fear towards social interactions. Being nervous is normal to people, especially when facing strangers or interacting with a large group of people. However, if one feels anxious or scared of any form of contact with others, but seem fine on their own, then this may already be a case of Social Phobia.
People with Social Phobia or Social Anxiety Disorder usually experience panic whenever these kinds of situations occur: meeting important people, social encounters with strangers, being introduced, being criticized or made fun of, public speaking, being on stage, or even making small talks during parties.
Sociophobics realize that this extreme fear toward interactions is unreasonable, but they can't control it. They feel it and the horror don't seem to go away. Social Anxiety manifests itself with dry throat and mouth, trembling, muscle twitches, blushing profusely, fast heartbeats, difficulty in swallowing, butterflies in the stomach, and the intense fear.
The positive thing about this Disorder is that it is treatable, and one could live a normal life after undergoing several sessions of therapy. Studies have shown that cognitive-behavioral therapy has had a high turnout of effectivity in terms of treating Social Phobia. Cognitive-behavioral therapy focuses on the problem and finds techniques and several solutions to eradicate the problem. The challenge now lies with choosing the right specialist who truly understands Social Anxiety, and is very patient when it comes to executing the steps in overcoming Social Anxiety. Picking someone who thinks that you
Getting over Social Anxiety is difficult, yet doable. Some of the most important things to remember when dealing with Social Phobia is to have an understanding of the underlying issue and the drive to resolve it. Both the patient and the therapist must be committed in going through the therapy according to the patient's pacing. And of course, lots and lots of practice in social interactions is important!
Finally, the patient may also join a Social Anxiety therapy group to work on his or her social interactions. There, one will participate in sharing, question and answer portions, role playing, acting, and doing silly things deliberately to help cope with Social Phobia. All these should be done in a supportive and motivating atmosphere, without the need to pressure or force anyone to do anything. Since people with Social Anxiety who participates in these therapy groups know why there are there in the first place, one may see that everyone will put in efforts in making the therapy a success.
At the end of the day, it has been proved that Social Phobia can be overcome. All a person needs is supportive people, and the right therapy program that eradicates Social Anxiety, one single step at a time.
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