What is social phobia?
Social phobia is an anxiety disorder in which a person has significant anxiety and discomfort related to a fear of being embarrassed, humiliated or scorned by others in social or performance situations. Even when they manage to confront this fear, persons with social phobia usually:
Social phobia frequently occurs with:
What are the characteristics of social phobia?
Although this disorder is often thought of as shyness, the two are not the same. Shy people can be very uneasy around others, but they do not experience the extreme anxiety in anticipating a social situation -- and, they do not necessarily avoid circumstances that make them feel self-conscious. In contrast, people with social phobia are not necessarily shy at all, but can be completely at ease with some people most of the time.
Most people experiencing social phobia will try to avoid situations that provoke dread or otherwise cause them much distress.
Social phobia is diagnosed when the fear or avoidance significantly interferes with normal, expected routines, or is excessively upsetting.
Social phobia disrupts normal life, interfering with career or social relationships. It often runs in families and may be accompanied by depression or alcoholism. Social phobia often begins around early adolescence or even younger.
People who suffer from social phobia often find relief from their symptoms when treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy, or medications, or a combination of the two.
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