Social phobia: the disorder of those who close themselves off to the world out of fear and ashamed of making mistakes
Social phobia severely limits the activities, even the simplest ones, of the individual afflicted with this disorder. The person with social anxiety has difficulty in doing any social behavior because he is afraid of the judgment of the people around him. A good psychologist can help to cope. this difficult path. Find out why sometimes even crying can be liberating and help you feel better by watching the video we have selected for you!
What is social phobia and how does this disorder manifest itself
When do we talk about social phobia? With this term we mean a phobia of humanity, a great fear of action and the fear of carrying out actions that will provoke negative judgments. Those who suffer from social phobia are embarrassed and afraid of the negative judgments and criticisms they might receive with their actions and feel constantly at the center of attention. Social phobia is also called social anxiety, and is one of the most frequent psychological disorders.It is an obsessive compulsive disorder more common than one might think even if it often manifests itself in a mild form and is not always easy to recognize. Social anxiety leads those who suffer from it to withdraw into their world to avoid contacts and social situations that end up representing opportunities for risk. If those with a social phobia are among others, they run the risk of assuming wrong (or presumed) behaviors. such) and undergoes a judgment. By avoiding every opportunity, however, those suffering from this type of disorder try to protect themselves. As we will see, social phobia is a widespread disorder. Almost 13% of the population suffer from it and generally suffer the most from it. women: the majority of patients are in fact female. Women of different ages therefore suffer from social phobia more than men. What are the social situations that the phobic avoids? All those that force him to do something in front of someone who observes him, to speak in public of course, but also sign a document, eat or make a phone call. In the most serious cases, even sit in the waiting room with a doctor or meet among friends. In a complex period like the one we are living in, where avoiding different social situations represents a wise and conscious choice in the fight against Coronavirus, social phobia finds fertile ground. An increase in the number of people who, after long isolation, find it difficult to relive social occasions and to feel at ease again within the community, that is when they are among others, even if they are friends. Prevention and social distancing are essential in this period. but it is good to cultivate your friendships to the fullest while waiting to hug each other again!
See also
Social phobia disorders: what happens to the individual who suffers from them
Those who suffer from social phobia know they are anxious but have a strong fear of showing themselves like this in the eyes of others. People with social phobia are afraid of blushing, shaking, sweating, and showing other manifestations of their embarrassment and tension such as stammering or having a heart pounding that stops when others stare at it or cannot speak at all. way or to perform the task he has to do. Who has this disorder tends to take all the blame: he does not accept and does not understand that his is a true pathology for which he considers himself inferior to others and unable to do even the simplest things that are assigned to him. Social phobia should not be underestimated: behavioral psychotherapy at the right time can quickly solve the problem but if the solution is late in arriving it often degenerates and can lead to even severe depression. The age most at risk for getting social phobia is adolescence or youth. In fact, adolescents often tend to isolate themselves and not see friends and schoolmates, this situation can take on serious implications. There are two types of social phobia, the so-called simple one, when the person has some limitations for example he cannot speak aloud, act, speak to the public and have leading roles but in general he has no problems within the circle of friends or doing less "exposed" things like attending a dinner or talking to strangers. And then there is generalized social phobia, when the person fears all kinds of social situations to the point of influencing their personality in an important way. When the social phobia is particularly severe and disabling it is generally referred to as Avoidant Personality Disorder.
Symptoms of social phobia: Watch out for signs that lead to avoidant personality disorder
The main characteristic of a social phobia is the fear or perhaps we should say the terror of being in social situations and of being observed while performing an action. People suffering from social anxiety have a strong fear of being judged crazy, stupid, foolish, ridiculous, he feels the center of attention and can have real panic attacks. Fear of public speaking is a clear symptom of social phobia, as is the fear of forgetting what to say, or the fear that everyone will notice fear and embarrassment from the shaking of the voice. Those who have a social phobia are afraid to speak face to face, they think they cannot express themselves clearly, arousing amazement, contempt and wonder in their interlocutor. All the symptoms of social phobia that upset the personality are related to anxiety: we are talking about palpitations, tremors, sweats, panic attacks, muscle tension, nausea, dry mouth, hot flashes, redness and even headaches. all symptoms that arise from anxiety, the motivation that brings the feeling of fear and embarrassment. Exposure anxiety as we have seen is the central cause of this cognitive disorder. These symptoms can lead those suffering from social phobia to avoid many social behaviors. The discomfort is really very high: the subject with social phobia avoids every situation (and there are so many) in which he can feel out of place and not at ease, in the useless hope of being isolated forever.
A typical and characteristic behavior of social phobia is the so-called anticipatory anxiety, a "strong anxiety that assaults the patient before facing a social situation (at the very thought of having to do it). Those suffering from social anxiety begin to feel bad and worry for several days before the event that makes him anxious, be it a business meeting, a party or any moment in which he feels exposed and which he wishes to avoid.
Fears related to social phobia may seem ridiculous and excessive to the outside eye: however, they must not be diminished because those who suffer from it cannot behave differently and above all they need help and "adequate cognitive behavioral therapy to get out of them."
Getting out of it: how social phobia is treated
The treatment of social phobia starts from the moment the person concerned becomes aware of the problem. Targeted therapy is often required to counteract these behaviors. In particular, against social phobia as for anxiety disorders, cognitive behavioral psychotherapy is important, a treatment that analyzes the situation "here and now" and therefore starts from the symptom rather than the cause to improve the patient's life. to change their way of thinking and at the same time help those suffering from social phobia to face in a concrete way the situations that cause fear. All the dysfunctions that social phobia entails and the anxious behaviors it causes are analyzed in depth to help the patient to overcome the fear of public exposure by making his life easier.
The treatment of social phobia, on the one hand, aims to lead the patient to observe the world in a different way without feeling observed, on the other hand it offers emergency tools to manage the most widespread social situations. Cognitive behavioral psychotherapy also includes " teaching special relaxation techniques, they are real trainers that help practically manage anxiety and all those stressful situations that can happen in life. This therapy is normally carried out in individual sessions but can also be very valid in group treatment: it seems that for patients doing therapy in a context that is in itself already a social situation offers many advantages.
Drug therapy for avoidance disorder and public speaking difficulties
A drug treatment alone is not enough to counteract social phobia. This means that psychotherapy is very important but sometimes it is necessary to accompany it with drugs. Usually, antidepressants or benzodiazepines are used for this purpose and against avoidance situations. These are valuable aids but generally do not allow the patient to solve the problem and sometimes cause serious effects of addiction, abuse and rebound anxiety, i.e. anxiety at the thought of doing without drugs that end up further complicating his social life. Another problem with these drugs is that they help in situations of social phobia but as soon as the drug treatment is stopped the symptoms reappear immediately causing the patient even greater stress and fear. If you suffer from social phobia, first of all contact an expert psychotherapist and let yourself be helped: a valid professional will be able to assist and support you, and you will be able to find what you need: security in yourself and certainly a more fulfilling social life.
