Social Anxiety (Social Phobia)
An
irrational fear of
social or
performance situations, or irrational fear of
scrutiny or
harsh judgement by others. The base of the fear is a worry about humiliating or
embarassing situations.
Recent studies show social anxiety to be the third most common
mental disorder in the
United States (8% of the general
population suffers from some form of it).
Symptoms
- intense fear of social or performance situations
- exposure to the feared social situation almost invariable provokes an anxiety or panic attack
- patient recognizes that the fear is baseless and irrational
- triggering situations are avoided entirely or endured with intense distress
- avoidance and nervous anticipation of triggering events has a strong impact on the social, occupational or other everyday aspects of life
- duration of fear for at least six months
- fear or avoidance is NOT triggered by external factors such as alcohol or other substance abuse, and is not a condition of another mental disorder
Diagnosis and Treatment
Diagnosis is made by a medical professional based upon the presence of the
symptoms listed above and their
impact upon the patients
quality of life.
Treatment options include cognitive-behavioral therapy, group therapy, and exposure
therapy. Pharmaceutical options have lately begun to include prescription antidepressants such as
Paxil (paroxetine HCI).
Prognosis
The
outlook for persons with social phobia is good when sufferers follow treatment options that involve cognitive-behavioral therapy (as much as a 90%
success rate).