| It is normal to feel nervous, even intimated, when in the | | | | experience all three reactions: physical, mental and |
| presence of other people. This is especially true when | | | | emotional. |
| we are around those whose opinion matters to us, like | | | | Physical anxiety reactions include trembling of the |
| an employer, a potential life partner, or a peer. We are | | | | hands, palpitation, hyperventilation and excessive |
| always vulnerable to the scrutiny of others, and at any | | | | sweating. Severe cases of Social Anxiety Disorder |
| moment people around us can take away their | | | | may even result in a heart attack or persistent |
| approval and goodwill. The potential for rejection and | | | | gastro-intestinal disorders. Emotional and mental |
| censure in every situation can be a scary thing. | | | | symptoms include difficulty concentrating, the feeling of |
| But there is a huge difference between appropriate | | | | being trapped, obsessive thoughts, and depression. |
| social anxiety and Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). | | | | How do people develop Social Anxiety Disorder? |
| The first one is manageable --- in fact, it can be | | | | Social Anxiety Disorder is both a genetic and a learned |
| channeled positively towards personal development. | | | | condition. |
| The second is dysfunctional. It can keep an individual | | | | Recent studies reveal that anxiety disorders run in |
| from working productively, as well as establishing deep | | | | families, suggesting that SAD may be hereditary. Whilst |
| and meaningful relationships. It can even result in so | | | | results of investigations are still not conclusive, it is |
| much physical and emotional distress, that the anxiety | | | | believed that people who have imbalance in the brain |
| interferes with all aspects of a person's life. | | | | chemicals serotonin and norepinephrine --- our natural |
| If you feel that your anxiety is already pathological, it's | | | | mood regulators --- tend to suffer anxiety symptoms |
| time to seek help and/or initiate an appropriate | | | | more than those whose bodies naturally produce them. |
| intervention. To guide you further in your personal | | | | Imbalance in brain chemicals is a genetic condition. |
| assessment, below is some more information about | | | | In other times, social anxiety is a learned response. It |
| this often overlooked mental health condition: | | | | can be the result of a traumatic event involving social |
| What is Social Anxiety Disorder? | | | | interactions that a person has difficulty processing. For |
| The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental | | | | example, being embarrassed before a crowd can be |
| Disorders (DSM), the handbook of most mental health | | | | traumatic for a person, and may result in a phobia of |
| professionals, defines SAD as the 'significant and | | | | crowds. Having a verbally abusive parent can also set |
| persistent fear of social or performance situations in | | | | the groundwork for future social anxiety disorders. |
| which embarrassment, rejection or scrutiny is possible." | | | | The condition can also be caused by an upbringing that |
| There are two key terms in this definition: significant | | | | limits opportunities to interact with others. When a |
| and persistent. Significant refers to the anxiety's | | | | person did not get to learn social skills growing up, it is |
| intensity; it is often disproportionate to the trigger. The | | | | not impossible that they would find social interactions |
| person experiencing the symptoms would be the first | | | | emotionally threatening. |
| to admit that their fear is unreasonable. | | | | Is there treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder? |
| Persistent refers to the chronicity of the symptoms. | | | | The good news is, the prognosis for SAD is very |
| Social anxiety reactions are recurring; they will keep | | | | positive. In fact, there are many natural and |
| bothering the individual unless the right intervention | | | | do-it-yourself treatments for this condition that have |
| takes place. The symptoms can recur when the | | | | been found effective. These include proper diet, stress |
| individual is faced once again with the same situation, | | | | management exercises, and self-talk. |
| or if they start thinking about potential social | | | | In the clinical setting, cognitive-behavioral interventions |
| interactions. | | | | have been found to be the most effective against |
| Individuals with SAD are known to struggle with other | | | | social anxiety. Cognitive-behavioral techniques involve |
| types of anxiety as well. | | | | identifying self-defeating ways of thinking and behaving, |
| What are its signs & symptoms? | | | | and replacing them with functional ones. Psychoanalytic |
| Symptoms vary from person to person. Some suffer | | | | techniques, which involve surfacing unconscious |
| primarily physical stress reactions, others primarily | | | | causes of social anxiety, have also been found to be |
| mental or emotional ones. There are also those who | | | | effective. |