Social Anxiety Disorder
Excerpt from Sue Cleland's journal "Living with Social Anxiety Disorder"....
"To feel fear in your everyday life is such a draining experience. To dread any social contact with anyone whether they know you or not is one of the worst feelings imaginable. It doesn't even need to be contact - just being visible to others was enough to bring on severe bouts of anxiety. Social situations are impossible to control, anything can happen at any time due to the nature of human nature. At any time, you could be asked to, or expected to make some contribution to conversation, at any time you may be walking along and trip in front of a line of cars, or people waiting at the traffic lights. At any time, someone beside you might have a sneezing fit, or their mobile phone might ring, which would surely attract public attention to that person, and if you are in the vicinity of them, public attention to yourself - oh no, what a horror! Maybe you have a hair out of place, or that pimple you pushed that morning on the top of your nose feels like it is the size of a golf ball. What are people going to say about you if they see you, what are they going to think? "Look at her, look at that pimple - I'm glad I don't have a face like hers." But deep down, what you are really afraid of is the belief that people can see your fear, that they know you are scared and a quivering mess inside. The whole time you feel so vulnerable like the essence of who you are, your fears, your past experiences, your weaknesses are all exposed, to be analysed, critised and judged by everyone who comes in contact with you.
I was unable to look into anyone's eyes, whether it be my parents, my close friends, acquaintances or people I had never met before without feeling that they were seeing all my insecurities, fears and failures. The eyes are the essence of the soul, and the pathway to the soul. Whenever I had contact with someone's eyes, the only thought that ever occupied my mind was - they can see my fear, they think I'm weak, hopeless, useless, ugly, etc. For this reason, my memory for conversations is incredibly poor, because I was there in person, but I was not there at all. I was unable to focus on what anyone was saying to me as my head was constantly preoccupied with what I believed other people were thinking of me. It never occurred to me that the person who was talking to me was thinking about what they were saying, not about me…. services.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder is a fear of being embarrassed, judged or evaluated negatively in social situations. Because of this fear, the person with Social Anxiety Disorder experiences physical symptoms of anxiety, and as a result tends to avoid the social interaction or social situation that brings on the symptoms of anxiety. The level of anxiety experienced by the person with Social Anxiety disorder is excessive, and results in substantial impairment in the person's social, emotional, interpersonal and occupational life.
Equally common in men and women and found across all cultures, Social Anxiety Disorder is estimated to affect approximately three percent of the population of Australia, and as many as eight percent of the population of the USA.
Characteristically, Social Anxiety Disorder develops in the mid-teenage years. The World Psychiatric Association suggests that as many as ninety-five percent of those who have Social Anxiety Disorder will have developed the disorder before the age of twenty. If left untreated, Social Anxiety Disorder can add to the onset of other developmental problems, and other conditions such as depression, avoidant personality disorder, drug and alcohol abuse, and sometimes suicide.
The most common situations that are feared by people who have Social Anxiety Disorder can include one or all of the following; speaking in public, eating and drinking in public, writing (or using a keyboard) in front of others, meeting new people, meeting or talking with people in positions of authority, meeting or talking to members of the opposite sex, being watched doing something, and being teased.
When the person who has Social Anxiety Disorder is confronted by the feared situation, or even just thinks about the feared situation, extreme symptoms of anxiety result. The symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder include one, or all of the following: high levels of anxiety when exposed to the feared situation (palpitations, trembling, sweating, tense muscles, dry throat, blushing, dizziness, sinking feeling in the stomach); an overwhelming feeling of wanting to escape, feelings of self consciousness and inadequacy; avoidance of the feared situation which can often lead to isolation from friends, family and society; and a reliance on drugs or alcohol to get the person through the feared situation.
A common misconception amongst some of the medical profession and the general public is that Social Anxiety Disorder is the same as shyness. It is important to clarify that shyness and Social Anxiety Disorder are different. Shyness is a normal characteristic. Social Anxiety Disorder is a recognised medical condition, where the symptoms are so excessive that they cause significant disruption to the person's life. In 1980, Social Anxiety Disorder was classified as an illness in the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual, the highly recognised manual to diagnose psychiatric disorders. Since this time, diagnostic criteria has been widely improved, allowing for correct diagnosis of Social Anxiety Disorder and more appropriate treatment options to be put in place.
Can Social Anxiety Disorder Be Treated?
Can Social Anxiety Disorder be treated? The World Psychiatric Association suggests that yes, Social Anxiety Disorder responds well to treatment. Medications, in conjunction with various psychological therapies have been seen to be the most successful in the treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder.
Medications found to be the most effective to treat the disorder include those that inhibit the monoamine oxidase enzyme in the central nervous system. (RIMA's, MAOI's and SSRI's), while psychological therapies such as cognitive therapy, behaviour therapy and graded exposure therapy are seen to be the most effective psychological approaches. Other techniques useful in treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder include; self esteem therapy, relaxation techniques, correct breathing techniques, assertion and perception training, social skills training, meditation, visualisation and focusing skills. The World Psychiatric Association suggests that as few as 25 per cent of people who have Social Anxiety Disorder currently receive treatment. Treatment options need to be introduced as soon as a diagnosis is made to alleviate the impairment to the sufferer's life, to prevent the further development of other related conditions such as depression, avoidant personality disorder, and drug and alcohol abuse.
A Word from Sue…
"Social Anxiety Disorder is a very real and distressing illness that needs more recognition in our community. Research suggests that Social Anxiety Disorder is very common, although often underestimated and undertreated. I believe it is important to diagnose and treat this disorder in the early stages before it leads to other related disorders and before it has the chance to develop into an illness that is extremely debilitating to a persons social, emotional, occupation, interpersonal and physical well being. I know there are many people who are sitting out there in their homes who are going through what I went through, believing that the world is a frightening place, too scared to seek help, or not sure where to go to get it. If you have been diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder, or if you believe you have Social Anxiety Disorder, tell someone how you are feeling. Find a practitioner who is experienced in this area and engage in therapy, as believe me, it will change your life for the better. There is no longer a need for you to live a life of fear and extreme anxiety. With the right support and therapy, you can break free from your prison of fear, and find that the world is not such a frightening place."