| There are some very important criteria that doctors | | | | stressful anticipation of fearful performance or social |
| and mental health experts use to diagnose the | | | | situations that significantly debilitates the patient's daily |
| symptoms of social phobia. Usually, most medical | | | | routine, ability to function normally at school or other |
| practitioners do not treat clients during the diagnosis | | | | social relationships or activities, which can result in a |
| stage as people with a mental illness, but people who | | | | phobia about having a social phobia attack. |
| need help to rectify their symptoms. | | | | Â- If the patient is below eighteen years old and |
| The first step taken towards ascertaining if a person | | | | the occurrence of these symptoms has lasted at least |
| has social phobia symptoms is by treating the person | | | | six months. |
| as a unique and special individual. The person is | | | | Â- The subsequent avoidance or fears are not |
| allowed to freely express what it is they are feeling, | | | | as a result of any physiological effects, such as the |
| experiencing and how this is affecting their lives. By | | | | abuse of drugs, medication or any other underlying |
| these criteria and only these is a doctor able to | | | | medical illness, and cannot be diagnosed as another |
| determine if the symptoms being experienced are in | | | | form of mental illness such as separation anxiety |
| fact social phobia, as it is also known. | | | | disorder, panic disorder without agoraphobia (or with), |
| Social phobic symptoms are very specific, but not all | | | | schizoid personality disorder, body dysmorphic disorder |
| of them are experienced by every patient. These will | | | | or separation anxiety disorder. |
| all show a persistent and continuing experience of the | | | | Â- In the case where another underlying mental |
| fear of socialization or the inability to perform in any | | | | or medical illness is determined, the patient's fear has |
| situation where the fear of embarrassment may | | | | no relation to Parkinson's disease tremors, Bulimia |
| happen. These symptoms include: | | | | Nervosa, Anorexia Nervosa or stuttering. |
| Â- A continuing and marked fear of a single or | | | | Social phobia is very hard to diagnose for most |
| multiple socialization or performance related situations | | | | medical practitioners because its symptoms can be |
| where the patient has to expose themselves to | | | | attributed to many other mental illnesses, medical |
| people they don't know and the potential for judgment | | | | conditions and/or possibly the abuse of drugs or |
| by those people. The patient's fears display a concern | | | | medications. The symptoms of social phobia can |
| about being embarrassed or possibly humiliated. For | | | | affect the patient's ability to live a normal life and may |
| example, some patients the best clue to this is in their | | | | interfere with their ability to enjoy normal social events |
| ability to socialize with their peers and form new | | | | and experiences that most of us would take for |
| relationships with people within that age group. | | | | granted. In fact, as many studies have shown, the |
| Â- The act of exposure to a fearful socialization | | | | symptoms themselves are not enough on their own to |
| situation almost always leads to feelings of extreme | | | | diagnose this disorder, but just a part of the whole |
| anxiety, which can manifest itself in the form of a | | | | process. It is important that as a potential patient of this |
| 'panic attack'. Panic attacks can vary according to the | | | | that you understand that along with the symptoms and |
| age and person, but in children this can manifest itself in | | | | possibly causes may come the possibility of traumatic |
| the form of avoiding other children they don't know, | | | | experiences, whether known or unknown to you at |
| freezing in their actions, having temper tantrums and/or | | | | this time. So, it is vital that if you are experiencing these |
| unexplained crying. | | | | symptoms that you seek medical advice first from |
| Â-The appearance of a fear that may be | | | | your family doctor and then an experienced |
| unreasonable or excessive in nature. However, in the | | | | psychologist or psychiatrist. Do not be alarmed by the |
| case of children this is not usually a factor. | | | | many questions they may ask you regarding your |
| Â- The avoidance or endurance of fearful | | | | childhood or adulthood. These are meant to better |
| performance or social situations and/or the endurance | | | | assist you and the doctor in determining if the |
| of such situations that provokes an attack of extreme | | | | symptoms you are experiencing are in fact truly those |
| distress or anxiety (panic attack). | | | | of social phobia. |
| Â- An unreasonable avoidance, distress or | | | | |