Social Anxiety

Social Anxiety

In the medical world, Social Anxiety is also known as 'Social Phobia' and is defined as, "The fear of social situations and the interaction with other people that can automatically bring on feelings of self consciousness, judgement, evaluation, and inferiority." Most people who have Social Anxiety are frustrated by the fact that they know their fears are irrational, but cannot seem to stop them from happening. Social Anxiety can be a crippling disorder that, without help, can manifest into many problems that negatively affect a person's life. Many people benefit from different kinds of therapy, medication, or, often times, both. It's also often misdiagnosed or overlooked because of the lack of education regarding it.

Social Anxiety is the third largest psychological problem in the world. Although people who are affected recognize their intense fears have little to no base to them, they are unable to halt their intense feelings of despair over being humiliated or embarrassed in front of other people. Because the idea of an anxiety disorder surrounding social interaction is a fairly new concept, they have rarely heard of it. Without the proper information and education concerning Social Anxiety, many people have a hard time putting their finger on what the problem is. This creates a feeling of helplessness.

On a social anxiety website, designed to inform the public correctly, people share stories about how uncomfortable being in public, attending functions, or encountering authority figures makes them. The amount of examples is abundant. Weather it's being terrified to go to the grocery store and communicating with the check-out clerk, or making small talk at parties, these interactions leave people feeling desperate to reduce the torture. Unfortunately, many people turn to alcohol and/or drugs to lessen the unbearable litany of cynical and self doubting thoughts that are constantly running through their head. Substance abuse only temporarily subdues the pain, thus turning people into addicts who constantly need to feed their never ending need for relief.

Thankfully, there is help! Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has had a large success rate. Mostly, it is recommended that people undergo short term therapy, which is about 16-24 sessions. Group therapy is also highly supported, but Doctors stress that it is only appropriate