Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder, often known as Social phobia, is a condition where a person has an irrational fear of being watched, judged and/or embarrassing themselves in public. These feelings, however nonsensical to the rest of us, are very real to the sufferer of the social anxiety disorder, and really do go on to affect their daily lives in many ways.

Up to 13% of the population do or will suffer from social anxiety disorder at some point in their lives and this condition is one of the most commonly occurring ones. However, like the other anxiety and panic disorders, therapy can really help the sufferer and improve the quality of their lives no end.

Social Anxiety Disorder differs from the regular shyness that most people suffer with in various circumstances by the persistence and strength of the symptoms suffered by the person in question.

The emotional symptoms suffered can include anxiety about being humiliated or embarrassed, being afraid of entering into situations where you may be judged, fear of being in situations where the sufferer doesn't know anybody, dread and fear of events or situations that maybe weeks ahead in a schedule, and fear that other people with notice the anxiety happening in the sufferer.

The physical symptoms include profuse sweating, tense muscles, intense blushing and trembling hands.

You can find information about symptoms of Panic and anxiety attacks here.

Social anxiety disorder is often found to run in families, which does make some people question whether it is a genetic condition or an environmental one, as disorders of this type can stem from learned behaviors, and at home is where we learn the majority of our behaviors; hence the trend.

There is lots of research work being done to find out if fear and anxiety is linked to specific genes due to the trend of this condition running in families; and this research does indeed point towards the genetic connection.

There is a structure called the Amygdala, which is part of the brain, and this structure plays a big role in what's known as the "general-purpose defence response control network". The amygdala reacts to unpleasant things, such as sights, smells, sounds and sensations, and emotions such as avoidance, anger and defensiveness are activated by this structure also.

It has been suggested that people who suffer from social anxiety disorder may have an overactive amygdala, and medication may be helpful in certain situations.

Social anxiety disorder has also been linked to various brain chemistry imbalances. An example of this is the brain chemical serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter, and is responsible for the balancing of mood and emotions; if this balance is out of kilter, social anxiety disorder could result. In cases of social anxiety disorder where medication is used to correct the situation, the intention is to re balance the out of kilter chemicals.

People that suffer from social anxiety disorder do realize that there is something wrong, yet despite this, they feel unable to do anything to improve things, they feel quite helpless. Their symptoms may arise as the result of a specific social situation, such as job interviews, or may be more generalized and be triggered by all situations where social interaction may occur.

Social Anxiety disorder does of course have a starting point, and generally the condition begins during adolescence, although it can begin earlier in life during childhood.
There are several environmental factors that may trigger or increase the risk of a person developing social anxiety disorder. T

These may include having one or more overly controlling, critical or protective parents, strong family conflict or abuse, any period of childhood time being bullied, teased or taunted, or perhaps just having a quiet, shy and timid nature as a child.