subject: Are You Suffering From Social Anxiety Disorder? [print this page] Social anxiety disorder is not uncommonSocial anxiety disorder is not uncommon. In fact, approximately one in every ten people suffers from it at one point or another. It may affect people when they are faced with any kind of social situation, or the symptoms may only occur in certain circumstances, such as when having to give a presentation, or when meeting new people.
The anxiety and fears that overcome suffers are very real and substantive, even though non-sufferers may dismiss them as being unreasonable. Overcoming social anxiety is crucial because if unchecked and untreated, it could lead to a more severe social anxiety disorder which can even greatly interfere with your daily life and it may lead to needing professional psychiatric help.
Overcoming social anxiety is not simple to do since it interferes with your daily routine. Those suffering from social anxiety disorder deal with this problem every day. Feeling extreme fear or anxiety can be caused by simple things such as the ringing of the door bell, answering the phone or the idea or going to the mall with other people.
Those who suffer badly from social anxiety disorder may do their best to avoid whatever social situations that they can. Some even go to the extremes of avoiding situations where there are other people involved like social events, work meetings and school classes. Why do sufferers do this? Because they don't want to take a chance, however remote it is, of being embarrassed or humiliated by anyone.
No one knows the exact cause of social anxiety disorder. It is thought that it's more a case of nurture than nature though, and that past events, or maybe even just one event, in which a person was made to feel extremely uncomfortable in front of others haunts them, and they are constantly in fear of a repeat occurrence. It could also be because of abnormal reactions in brain parts that control emotional reactions. Or it could be causes by a combination of the three possible causes.
There are many different approaches that can help in overcoming social anxiety these days. The most successful technique that's used is one called cognitive behavioral therapy, which is carried out by specially trained therapists. The purpose of this therapy is to replace the negative thoughts that occur with positive ones.
For those who suffer really badly from social anxiety disorder, courses of medication may also be administered. Most of the medications work on brain chemicals, like serotonin, that are responsible for symptoms of anxiety. You can get these medications with the right assessment and prescription from a doctor. However, medication alone will not be sufficient to overcome social anxiety disorder. It must only be used to supplement therapy techniques.
