Thursday, January 31, 2013

Returning Man to His Social Self

By Dillen Mulders


Probably the most common form of anxiety disorder is that known as Social Phobia or Social Anxiety Disorder. In fact, it's so common that it is believed to affect somewhere around 10% of the entire population in one degree or another.What's more, it can affect absolutely anyone - from housewife to movie star.Renowned entertainers who have spent years in the public eye -- from Barbara Streisland to Kim Basinger ,have spoken publicly of their experience and recovery from social phobia and anxiety.

Most of the people who suffer from social anxiety disorder remain aloof, and avoid social settings. Unfortunately, this can worsen their condition. By doing this they may be adding fuel to the fire, but some people feel that this may be the only solution available to them. If this type of avoidance goes on for a long time, it can create a feeling of distress in a suffering person. Learning to be comfortable in all kinds of social settings is the best way to "get your life back".

All this, of course, simply serves to intensify the fear.The true fear underpinning this disorder is very often the fear of being negatively judged and evaluated by others. This fear or apprehension can make the person afraid of doing anything that might prove embarrassing to them in public.

In psychiatric terminology such disorders are denoted with Agoraphobia. Curing this disorder through panic attacks cures become mandatory to sort out those social anxiety disorders.Treating this disease in itself is a challenge for experts due to genuine reasons. It becomes tough to assess a case when patients are not able to express their problems. Although assisted but extreme shyness and introvert attitude causes problems. They face social avoidance hence fail to describe agonies. It is therefore important to diagnose such cases after thorough study of mental conditions.

Left unresolved and untreated, depression can develop and some may turn to alcohol and drugs in order to cope.All too frequently the medical response to social phobia and Social Anxiety Disorder is to simply drug it, often with anti-anxiety medication - particularly favored are drugs from the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor group (SSIRs) such as paroxetine (Paxil or Seroxat).

Medications.Three types of medications used for social anxiety disorder treatment are-benzodiazepines, beta blockers, and antidepressants. However, the best treatment for all those who are suffering with this disorder will depend upon the individual. Some people will be able to do well with self-help techniques, while others may need both self-help techniques and medication.

There is another way.You see, the subconscious mind - that repository of beliefs - is simply trying to protect the individual from danger by creating feelings of anxiety and fear so that he or she will be safe from harm. But the subconscious has got it wrong. It is basing its faulty response on previous conditioning that is simply no longer appropriate.

Social phobia is a disorder that affects many people. Suffering from the condition is not easy as it can adversely affect living life normally. One of the clearest signs of having social anxiety disorder is having intense moments of fear just because of an oncoming social event. This, however, does not mean that feeling shy in a public speaking scenario is an automatic indication that you suffer from it. Normal shyness or nervousness should be differentiated from social phobia. If you are positive that you have the disorder, it is good news to say that there are now more options on how you can handle it and on how you can get social anxiety disorder treatment.

Social anxiety disorder is where the person becomes extremely anxious, sometimes even stressed when exposed to social situations. It leads to excessive and unreasonable fear when interacting on a social level. The person becomes nervous because of the fear of being watched and judged by the other people present. A person suffers from anxiety when though they are perfectly fine when alone or left in a very small group but becomes extremely anxious in a social situation. People suffering from anxiety realize that the fears are irrational but they still can't help nervous and anxious. It's also known as social phobia.

Triggers, Symptoms and Signs.If you are after social anxiety disorder treatment because you want to live a normal life, then it is crucial as well that you know the situations that trigger anxiety or panic attacks. Not only that, you also need to recognize the signs and symptoms brought about by such attacks. The triggers can be any kind of social activity such as dating, speaking in public, talking with a group of people, meeting new acquaintances or even being interviewed for a job. The symptoms can manifest physically or emotionally such as getting dry throat, chest pains, shaking or trembling, and the feeling of intense fear even days or weeks away from the said activity.Getting the treatments.If you suffer from social phobia, then it is not the end of the world because you can actually have lot of social anxiety disorder treatments to help you cure the problem. As we have said above, medications or expensive therapies are not your only options. There are also programs developed by ex-social phobia sufferers which aim to effectively cure the disorder. By using such alternative treatment, you do not only deal with the triggers but also hit the causes for long term cure.




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