Social Phobia

Social phobia is the persistent fear of a situation in which you are exposed to possible scrutiny by others and fear you may do something that will be humiliating or embarrassing.  Social phobia can include any situation in which you feel closely watched and judged by others, as in public speaking, eating, or using using public facilities. Feared activities may include most any type of social interaction, including small groups like dating, parties, and talking to others in a one-on-one situation.

Social phobia involves overwhelming anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations. A social phobia is more than the normal shyness and awkwardness most of us have in certain situations. Like other phobias, it is a persistent and irrational fear where the fear is out of proportion to the actual situation.  If you have social phobia, typically you over-estimate the danger of embarrassment while under-estimating your ability to get through the situation successfully.

People with social phobia are concerned about being embarrassed or humiliated by their own actions.  A social phobia can be a generalized fear where you experience symptoms almost anytime you are around other people or it can be limited to only one type of situation.  Social phobia (also sometimes called social anxiety) is so intense that someone with social phobia will avoid these social situations whenever possible.

Social phobia can severely disrupt normal life, interfering with school, work, or social relationships. Physical symptoms include your mind going blank, an inability to concentrate, blushing, stomach ache, shortness of breath, irregular or rapid heartbeat, sweating, nausea, and overall feelings of dread.

The cause of social phobia is not known but biological, environmental, and personality factors may all be involved.  Lack of self-confidence and a lack of coping skills can play a role in social phobia.

With the help of a therapist, you can learn to understand the thoughts and behaviors that help create anxiety, learn and reduce your anxiety and sense of panic, and  learn specific behaviors to increase confidence and overcome social phobia.

The therapeutic approaches of systematic desensitization, cognitive therapy, and behavior therapy are frequently used to treat a social phobia as well as other phobias. Gradual exposure to real life phobic situations can be used to help you overcome your fears. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that about 75% of people with specific phobias overcome their fears through cognitive-behavioral therapy. Relaxation and stress relief are often used as adjuncts to other therapeutic approaches.  Relaxation techniques include specific ways of breathing, muscle relaxation training, and guided imagery. Social skills training can also be helpful.

A person's worries and thoughts are often in the form of a question that begins "what if . . ." and tend to be negative rather than positive. A psychologist or other trained mental health professional can help you to identify, examine, and modify these thoughts.

Anti-anxiety and anti-depressive medications are sometimes used to help relieve the symptoms associated with social phobia and other phobias.   Although medication does not solve the problem, it can help reduce the symptoms and allow you to more fully benefit more from therapy.

For more information about social phobia, please click on the linked websites listed below.

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