3 Key Steps to Understanding Social Phobia

How to Help Someone With Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder can be hard to cope with for those suffering from it. At the same time it can be difficult for people to really understand how the person suffering from social anxiety feels. Many people really want to help the sufferer, by trying to make situations more comfortable. However, to genuinely understand how we can help a person suffering from social anxiety, we need to understand just how this disorder works.

So what exactly is social anxiety?

Social anxiety is a form of anxiety problem. It is often referred to as social phobia. People with social phobia are suffering from extreme shyness and are extremely self-conscious. Now it is normal to be nervous when first meeting someone or asking them out on a date, but when you have social anxiety, the feeling of fear gets so intense that they often avoid the situation altogether.

People with this disorder interact normally with family and friends, but when the meet new people, their extreme fears come in to play. The result is usually that they go into a tense, muted state, and start avoiding situations which may potentially lead to these fears.

What Are People With Social Anxiety Disorder Afraid of?

People with social anxiety often fear embarrassment, criticism, making mistakes and being laughed at. Now most people fear these things, but they are not things that we constantly worry about. With social phobia the fear of these things becomes so strong that it really gets quite irrational. A person with social phobia will therefore avoid situations that might trigger this fear.

Although avoiding situations might seem like a relief at first, in the long run it reinforces the fears and makes them stronger. Avoiding social situations will also lead to the person missing out on opportunities and potential friends. Because of the reinforcement of the fears, the anxiety will grow stronger, and will be harder to beat.

How to help someone with social anxiety disorder?

If you want to help someone with social anxiety disorder, you should always present the person with opportunities to come with you in social situations. The person may reject the first times, but keep being encouraging and positive. Don't show disappointment or get angry if the person doesn't want to come with you. This will only lead to feelings of guilt and even further fuel the anxiety.

Family and friends are the most important healing tools for people with social phobia. I call them tools, because just like any tool, they can be damaging if not used correctly. Criticisms, putdowns and lectures do not help the person to be more outgoing. They will make the sufferer feel bad, and will lead to guilt. This may very well be what started the anxiety in the first place. Instead, friends and family should be recognizing that the person with anxiety is in fact suffering from a disorder that they did not choose themselves. Be open, encouraging, and congratulate the person when he/she reaches a goal.

Finally, I just want to say that unconditional love is the key to helping out someone with social anxiety. Don't stop loving someone or get mad at them for not wanting to go out. They don't mean to be rude although it may sometimes seem like they are. Realize that deep down they are really crying out for help, and that they are victims of a terrible disorder. But the disorder is definitely curable and controllable, so help them with what you can.

Social Anxiety Disorder

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Social Anxiety Disorder Treatment Can Be Assistive and Preventive

Social anxiety disorder entails extreme fear of certain social situations particularly situations that are unusual or in which you will be observe or assess by others. These social situations may be so upsetting that you become anxious of thinking about them or go to great lengths to evade them. Underlying problem is the fear of being inspected, evaluated, or embarrassed in public. You may be scared that people will think negatively of you or that you would not be as good compared to others. And even if you most likely realize that your fears of being reviewed are no less of what is ridiculous and exaggerated. What you can do is get a social anxiety disorder treatment.

While it may look like you are the single one having the disorder, social anxiety disorder is in fact relatively common. A lot of people resist with these fears. However, the circumstances that generate the symptoms of social phobia can be diverse. A number of individuals become anxious in nearly all social and performance situations. For other people with social phobia, anxiety is attached with specific social situations, such as speaking to strangers, eating at restaurants, or going to parties. The most common definite social phobia is fear of public speaking or performing in front of an audience. There are numerous social anxiety disorder treatment choices offered for people enduring the condition.

It is regularly a weakening condition that is differentiated by the fear of being unconstructively evaluated by others in social situations. Since social anxiety disorder has both mental and emotional symptoms, as well as physical signs of misery, most social anxiety disorder treatment are centered in combining use of medications and variety of behavioral therapies. Even if medications have confirmed to be successful in alleviating numerous of the physical aspects of the condition, in order to permanently affect alteration in the underlying thought processes. Exposure and feedback of prevention therapy is a treatment that focuses on pushing the patient to face their fears of social interaction by placing themselves in social situations.

The rate at which this is tried varies from every patient, with numerous people initiating this treatment regimens in highly controlled situations pre-designed to limit trauma. Comparable in various ways to behavioral therapy, the goal is to have the patient grasp that their fears are absurd. It is effortless to perceive how effective this technique can be as a means of a social anxiety disorder treatment. Repeated contact to the environments that excite their negative reactions helps patients appreciate that nothing dreadful can happen. In due course, they can manage a sense of comfort in those situations. Constantly facing the negative responses guides patients to be aware in recognizing their own reactions.

Exposure and response prevention therapy can be tremendously complex for a lot of patients, mostly at the beginning of their treatment. Nevertheless, because it pushes individuals to unswervingly address the core causes of their anxiety, it is the most commonly utilized social anxiety disorder treatment. Handling with social anxiety is not at all easy, and finding the exact social anxiety disorder treatment regimen can be a tricky scheme in the best of circumstances. For patients with the nerve to go for it, exposure and response prevention therapy can be an exceptionally effective method for assisting patients in getting over their fears. This success of the treatment process is critical for a complete recuperation.

Social Anxiety Disorder

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Social Anxiety Disorder Quiz

Using a Social Anxiety Disorder quiz or test can help you discover whether or not you need to seek further advice on your anxiety condition. Social Anxiety, also known as Social Phobia, is one of the most common mental health disorders in the United States today. Around 20 million of the American population has it at any one time. The statistics do not include those who have not reported their condition to mental health experts. If you feel you may be suffering from this type of anxiety, taking a social anxiety disorder quiz will help you make your own assessment. Asking yourself the following questions will help you verify if you are a potential sufferer:

1. Do you have an extreme fear of being in a social situation?

2. Do you always fear that people are judging you in whatever you are doing?

3. Do you prefer to be alone rather than going out with a group?

4. Do you need to drink alcoholic beverages before engaging in public speaking or performance?

5. Do you hate attending parties and other social gatherings?

If your answer is yes to the majority of the questions in the above social anxiety disorder quiz, then you are probably at risk for having social anxiety. Take note that doing a self-assessment is not a conclusive method of diagnosing the disorder. You would still need to consult the opinion of a psychiatrist, psychologist or other mental healthcare professional for a definitive answer. Your Doctor would probably do another social anxiety disorder quiz, test or assessment before they can verify whether you have the disorder or not.

If your doctor does indeed diagnose you as having social anxiety disorder, they will recommend that you start some sort of treatment right away. Mental health disorders are highly treatable when they are still mild, because they have not yet caused any significant disturbances in your way of thinking. In this early period of the disorder, counseling is an effective form of treatment. Through counseling, your thoughts about your social anxiety are addressed and then challenged. In this manner, you will be able to construct positive thinking about this condition that will help you recover faster.

In cases where counseling has not proven to be effective, the Doctor may prescribe medications. Anti-anxiety and antidepressant drugs are given to relieve the symptoms of the disorder. The doctor can also give medications that will control the physical manifestations of anxiety. It is important to continuously monitor for side effects of medications, especially the psychotic drugs. Psychotic drugs can induce irreversible side effects when taken in high doses.

If you are presently undergoing therapy, it is important for you to cooperate with the Doctor to facilitate fast recovery. The treatment can be very frustrating and difficult to cope with, especially during its initial phase, because you are subjected to a lot of changes and interaction with different people. It is also important to be compliant with your medication schedule. When you miss or do not take the prescribed dosage, your treatment can be rendered ineffective and this can set you back in your recovery. Improper treatment will eventually lead you to Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD, which is very difficult, but not impossible, to manage.

If your social anxiety disorder quiz suggests that you have social anxiety disorder, do not hesitate in going to the Doctor for assistance. Your information is kept confidential, so there is no need to worry about other people knowing of your condition.

Social Anxiety Disorder

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Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder can make a person feel scared they'll make a mistake, perhaps be asked to make a very basic decision, or just answer a simple question that requires them to think of a reply that is somehow different from their normal day to day conversation and communication. Being put on the spot to respond instantly to a question can be quite terrifying to someone with social anxiety disorder, no matter how normal or straightforward the question may appear to someone who has confidence and is able to communicate more easily.

The fear of embarrassment or of being humiliated in front of others can be great. While one person can take a casual comment as just a throw away remark, to someone suffering from social anxiety, the same comment can feel totally mortifying..The fear can be made worse by a lack of skills and experience in dealing with social situations - if something scares you, you'll often try to avoid it where possible. While it may feel easier in the short term, the downside is that of course you then can never become good or confident at doing whatever "it" is.

The anxiety can build into a panic attack. As a result of the fear, the person can become increasingly tempted to start avoiding social situations altogether. They may also only mix with the few people they feel comfortable with and trust like perhaps immediate family members.

People with this problem may spend a good deal of their time one step removed from face to face contact, relating to others via their computer. Their experience of life can be largely gained from reading books, watching the news, TV programmes online information, and most, communication taking place via social media platforms such as Facebook. They console themselves with the idea that they have lots of friends, but these are often "virtual" and "online".

Anticipatory anxiety is the fear of a situation before it even happens, for example dreading the date of a forth coming wedding to which you have been invited, and have accepted the invitation. You find yourself panicking about what sort of an idiot you will make of yourself in front of all those people. In many cases, you are aware that the fear is unreasonable, yet on your own somehow you just can't seem to overcome it.

This social anxiety disorder can distort one's ability to think reasonably and logically. The person predicts all sorts of catastrophes, which make them dread any social event, as they "know" it will be awful. And even when it is fine, this does not stop the catastrophosising about how lucky you were that you just got away with it that time... but wait for the next!

Without treatment, social anxiety disorder can interfere with the person's normal daily routine. Ordinary dealings with people at work, communicating effectively with peers and more personal relationships can be an ongoing battle. The ever-present fear and reluctance to say yes to social activities can turn into a vicious cycle, whereby eventually others automatically expect you to refuse, and so no longer invite you to anything.

People with social anxiety disorder often find difficulty:

• Meeting people for the first time 

• Eating or drinking in front of others. 

• Writing or working in front of others. 

• Being the centre of attention. 

• Interacting with people, including dating or going to parties. 

• Asking questions 

• Silence during conversations 

• Using public toilets. 

• Talking on the telephone.

Social anxiety disorder can be linked to other mental illnesses, such as depression, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorders.

Researchers from MIT, Boston University (BU), and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in the Archives of General Psychiatry in July this year, have taken brain scans of patients with social anxiety disorder. Their research is exploring if it is possible to predict which people with this problem are likely to be helped by cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and who is more likely to be helped by medication. Cognitive behavioural therapy aims to enable people to change their thoughts and behaviour patterns which can otherwise lead to anxiety. For social anxiety disorder patients, that might include undertaking "behavioural experiments" to gather data and check out whether others are actually watching or judging them. If you avoid some one's gaze, you will never know if they are looking at you! Likewise, if you smile, and they smile back, perhaps they are not mentally criticising you. Currently both CBT and medication are used to treat social anxiety, though the National Centre for Clinical Evidence (NICE) guidelines suggest that CBT is likely to be particularly helpful, and should be the first choice of treatment, before offering medication

Social Anxiety Disorder Help

Social anxiety disorder is a condition which can be either temporary or permanent, or somewhere in between. It is a condition whereby the sufferer often feels extremely afraid in social situations, so that they can hardly even function. The only way to make sure you do or do not have social anxiety disorder is to see a doctor for a thorough examination. The best help for anxiety disorders is often self-help, though many people with anxiety disorders benefit from joining a self-help group and sharing their problems and achievements with others. Talking with trusted friends can also be helpful, though not a substitute for medical care.

The family is of great importance and help in the recovery of a person with an anxiety disorder. Ideally, the family should be supportive, without helping to perpetuate the person's symptoms. If the family tends to trivialize the disorder or demand improvement without treatment, the affected person will suffer. You may wish to enlist their help as educated allies in your fight against your anxiety disorder.

Stress management techniques and meditation may help you to calm yourself and enhance the effects of therapy, although there is as yet no scientific evidence to support the value of these "wellness" approaches to recovery from anxiety disorders. There is preliminary evidence that aerobic exercise may be of value, and it is known that caffeine, illicit drugs, and even some over-the-counter cold medications can aggravate the symptoms of an anxiety disorder. Check with your physician or pharmacist before taking any additional medicines.

Social Anxiety Disorder

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The Best Choices For Healing Social Anxiety Disorder By Herbal

Before we delve into herbal remedies for social anxiety disorder, let's briefly discuss what it is. Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia is when a person intensely and persistently fears exposure to public scrutiny, expecting to be humiliated in social situations by others. Social phobia sufferers become overwhelmingly anxious and excessively self-conscious in everyday social situations that they withdraw and avoid them whenever possible.

Social anxiety can be limited to only type of social situation. For example, eating or drinking in front of others. On the other hand, it can be so broad that a person experiences symptoms such as a persistent, intense, and chronic fear of being embarrassed or humiliated, judged negatively or evaluated by other people almost anytime they are around other people. In addition, a person with this disorder often experiences physical symptoms such as nausea, trembling, blushing, profuse sweating, and difficulty talking.

Needless to say, avoidance of social situations can be very incapacitating for those social anxiety disorder sufferers. However, the good news is that there are natural ways of seeking social anxiety relief such as herbal remedies for social anxiety as well as techniques like slow breathing and positive self-talk. In fact, we would be remiss if we didn't state that there are also other treatments to provide sufferers with social anxiety relief such as psychotherapy, cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT), exposure therapy, medications, and others.

Now, without further adieu, let's delve into some very promising herbal remedies for social anxiety disorder that may be helpful. Of course, you should never stop taking any medication prescribed without your physician's approval. In addition, you should always consult your physician before taking any herbal remedies for social anxiety disorder, meaning herbal supplements.

Lemon Balm - Lemon balm has been used for generations to calm and relax the nerves as well as to relieve sleeplessness. This highly respected herb is still used today in herbal therapies to treat anxiety, nervousness, and insomnia. In addition, lemon balm is good for digestive problems linked to anxiety.

Lavender- This pleasantly powerful and distinctive aromatic herb is well known for its calming properties. In addition, it is considered valuable for soothing and strengthening the nervous system, and, as such, it is also well known as a natural tonic for the nervous system. Lavender is widely used for combating anxiety, fatigue, stress, nervous tension, and to relieve a depressed mood.

Passion Flower - Passion Flower is one of nature's best tranquilizers. It is often used for its calming effect to combat anxiety, stress, and insomnia. In addition, passion flower harbors properties known as alkaloids, which are believed to act somewhat like monoamine oxidase inhibitors, a category of drugs that are sometimes prescribed for depression.

Kava Kava - Kava Kava is an herb that has been used in the Fiji Islands for many years. This powerful one is highly touted as nature's valium because it promotes calming and relaxing effects.

St John's Wort - St. John's Wort has a long history of folk use for treating depression, anxiety, and others. Today, many studies have backed up its favorable depression effects. In fact, it is often referred to as nature's Prozac.

Other helpful herbal remedies for social anxiety disorder relief include chamomile, valerian, and hops.

Again, it's important that you speak to your physician before taking any herbal supplements.

Nutritional-Supplement-Educational-Centre's Opinion on Herbal Remedies for Social Anxiety Disorder

You may want to consider taking a comprehensive formula designed to combat anxiety. However, ensure that the product is created by someone who is credentialed and qualified to create a supplement with ingredients that work in balance and synergistically to offer maximum results. 

Moreover, it can be very dangerous to your health to mix and match herbs and nutrients on your own.

In addition, a comprehensive formula using carefully selected ingredients can offer more therapeutic benefits, often better than taking a single herb on its own.

Bottom Line...

It's important to understand the how and why of what makes some of these comprehensive anxiety supplements useful, an important factor in making an informed choice.

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Social Anxiety Disorder

What Is Social Anxiety Disorder Test?

A Social Anxiety Disorder Test can help you determine if you are a sufferer of this disorder. But, what is Social Anxiety Disorder? Also known as SAD or Social Phobia, Social Anxiety Disorder is the most common of the anxiety disorders. The most common characteristic is intense fear in social situations which cause distress and slowed ability to function in the sufferer's daily routine.

SAD usually begins at an early stage. Cases have been diagnosed in patients as young as eleven years old. Left untreated or undiagnosed, sufferers may self medicate with alcohol or other drugs to help them cope in stressful situations. This self-medication may lead to other issues including alcoholism and eating disorders.

A Social Anxiety Disorder Test not only determines the mental state of the patient, but also the physical symptoms of the disorder. Some of the physical symptoms include: Rapid speech, heart palpitations, blushing, sweating, heavy breathing, nausea and stammering.

Here is a quick Social Anxiety Disorder Test you can take if you feel that you or someone you know may be suffering from Social Phobia. Rate your responses on a scale of 0 to 4 with 0 being "does not apply to me at all" and 4 being "Yes, I strongly agree!" Record your responses on a separate sheet of paper.

• Are you afraid of people in authority positions?
• Are you stressed when people notice you trembling or shaking in a social setting?
• Are you bothered if you blush in front of others?
• Do you avoid speaking to persons in authority?
• Do parties and social events scare you?
• Are you afraid of being embarrassed or looking stupid or foolish in front of others?
• Is it easier to avoid talking to people you don't know rather than approaching them?
• Does fear of someone watching you stop you from doing certain activities (dancing, sports, singing, etc.)
• Are you afraid of criticism?
• Do you have heart palpitations when you are around other people?
• Do you avoid activities for fear of embarrassment?
• Would you rather do anything else than be criticized?
• Do you worry about sweating in front of other people?
• Do you avoid giving speeches at all costs?
• Are you afraid of talking to strangers?
• Do you or have you avoided going to parties or other social events?
• Are you afraid to be the center of attention?

Add up your score. Rate your results on the following scale:

• 0-20 points - Little to no Anxiety
• 21-30 points - Mild Anxiety
• 31-40 points - Moderate Anxiety
• 41-68 points - Severe Anxiety

If your score was in the moderate to severe range, you may want to do more research on SAD or see your physician with any questions. Of course, no online Social Anxiety Disorder Test can take the place of a doctor's diagnosis. The main thing is to arm yourself with knowledge and refuse to suffer in silence.

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Social Anxiety Disorder