Social Anxiety Disorder

Introduction:
Social Anxiety disorder also known as Social Phobia is a condition in which a person has an excessive and intense fear of one or more social situations.
It is common for many people to get nervous and over conscious when facing certain social situations like giving a public speech, going to an interview for a new job or going on a date but when this fear and anxiety becomes so significant that you try to avoid the situation that triggers this anxiety and interferes with daily life activities then it is becomes a disorder known as Social anxiety disorder. The person may be so frightened of facing the situation that even just thinking about it makes him anxious and this anxiety may even build up to create a panic attack.

Clinical Features: 
A feeling of shyness or discomfort in certain social situations is not always abnormal or a sign of social anxiety disorder. Comfort levels depends on an individuals personality and life experiences.
Many people with social anxiety disorder feel that there is something wrong but do not recognize it as a sign of illness. The symptoms of this disorder can be described as follows:

1. Emotional Symptoms:

• Excessive self consciousness and anxiety in day to day social situations.
• Excessive worrying for days or even months before an upcoming social event.
• Worrying about humiliating or embarrassing oneself .
• Fear of interacting with a stranger.
• Extreme fear of being watched or judged by others.

2. Physical Symptoms:

• Confusion
• Pounding heart.
• Red face or blushing
• Shortness of breath
• Upset stomach and diarrhea
• Trembling and shaking including a shaky voice
• Sweating
• Dizziness or faintness

3. Behavioral Symptoms;

• Avoiding a situation to such an extent that it interferes with normal routine life.
• Feeling a need of a close friend when going to a social gathering.
• Staying quiet and not interacting with others
• Trying to hide in the back ground in order to avoid being noticed by others

Situation That commonly Provoke Anxiety: include

• Eating or drinking in front of others
• Being the center of attention
• Interacting with people
• Asking question or giving reports in a group
• Using a public restroom
• Making eye contact with others
• Dating
• Entering a room in which others are already seated.

Management:

Once a social anxiety disorder is diagnosed it can be managed either by psychotherapy or with certain medications. 

1. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps an individual to think and react differently to situations that trigger anxiety. 

2. Therapy may also include systematic desensitization and gradual real life exposure to feared situation.

3. Relaxation techniques like deep breathing, yoga exercises may sometimes help. 

4. Medications like benzodiazepines, antidepressants, beta-blockers may also help.