What is Social Anxiety Disorder?
Social anxiety disorder is a kind of disorder that leads to an extreme level of fear, depression, and despair in social events. It is also known as social phobia, where people feel troubled while talking to new people and try to avoid social gatherings. The fear of being scrutinized or judged by others leads people to social anxiety. These fears have no basis or rational power, yet it’s complicated to combat them. Social anxiety disorder is not just a random thing but a severe problem. It’s not just being shy, but it affects all areas of one’s life. It is a debilitating and persistent feeling that affects the ability to work in a social setting, attend parties, develop relationships with new people, among other scenarios. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) presents that around 15 million American adults suffer from a social anxiety disorder. Its symptoms may initiate around the age of 13 to 15.
Symptoms
Every disorder has its own specific symptoms, so too with a social anxiety disorder. The physical symptoms of a social anxiety disorder include:
- Nausea and sweating
- Shaking and trembling
- Difficulty while communicating
- Dizziness and elevated heart rate
Other psychological symptoms are:
- Worrying about the social event for days or weeks
- Ignoring social situations and remaining disconnected
- Feeling nervous and distressed that people may notice you
These are severe symptoms that do not just come without the disorder. If you have any of these symptoms, you need to reach out for treatments and therapies.
Treatments for Social Anxiety Disorder
When you have a disorder such as social anxiety disorder, in which you feel difficulty talking to a new person, you might not want to get help. However, those who reach a point where they don’t want to go to social gatherings despite the fact that they are crucial, that’s when this disorder starts controlling your life. Now you may need treatments and therapies. Treatments for social anxiety disorder are not the same for every person. Some people may need one kind of treatment while others need something different.
Here are the treatment options for social anxiety disorder:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
It is essential to get social anxiety therapy that helps you reduce the symptoms of the disorder. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is one of the ideal options in order to control social anxiety or depression. In Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, patients get help with identifying their negative feelings that contribute to thoughts full of fear and anxiety. Patients learn how to adjust unrealistic behavioral patterns that create pessimistic emotions. This therapy improves the inaccurate behavior of the patient. It helps the patient realize all these fears and how to deal with them. A patient may need 12 to 16 sessions of therapy in order to boost confidence, reduce anxiety, and learn skills to manage social events. Set an appointment with a therapist and get Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy to get rid of social anxiety disorder.
Group Therapy
Group work is key to attaining desired outcomes in social anxiety therapy. Group therapy will help you learn innovative techniques and skills to interact with new people in social events. When you let the therapist know your condition, you make a team of two work on negative emotions and get them out of your life. You will start participating in group therapy that reduces your fears and makes you feel motivated and optimistic. You will get a chance to practice innovative skills with the help of role-playing and train yourself to deal with social situations. You will practice everything during group therapy sessions.
Medications
People who are more likely to have severe kinds of social anxiety disorder can’t recover only from therapies. They need medication along with other therapies. The doctor may prescribe antidepressants in order to manage social anxiety disorder symptoms and make you feel a little worthier. They may suggest SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), including Fluoxetine (Prozac), Paroxetine (Paxil), and Sertraline (Zoloft).
Doctors can also recommend antidepressants that are known as selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, SNRIs. These drugs include Duloxetine (Cymbalta) and Venlafaxine (Effexor). These medications are FDA-approved. The healthcare provider may prescribe a minor dose and increase it gradually according to your current condition. These medications do not work without your own willpower, therapies, and time. They may take a while to show their effects. Ideally, these antidepressants start working between 2 to 6 weeks.
Of course, they may have side effects that appear after a while. These side effects include sleeplessness, weight gain, and lack of sexual desire. Additionally, they may upset your stomach.
Some people have the tendency to recover soon with this medication and therapies, while others may take more time. Medication needs more time for those who have severe symptoms; otherwise, their symptoms will come back. Never lose hope and practice therapies and take medication as per your doctor’s guidelines.
Other Remedies Include
Avoid Caffeine
Drinks that have caffeine, including soda, tea, and coffee, might be essential for you. However, if you have anxiety, it may trigger your anxiety attacks. Foods such as chocolates are stimulants that elevate anxiety. At least try to lessen the quantity of coffee, tea, sodas, and chocolate if you can’t give up totally. FDA has approved 400 milligrams of caffeine a day as unassailable and safe for young and healthy people. However, people with severe symptoms need to cut these things totally from their diet.
Plenty of Sleep
The research has shown that lack of sleep tends to make a person undergo anxiety and depression. People who have not slept enough are more likely to face the anxiety that worsens social phobia symptoms. Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night.
Healthy Lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle and self-care routine are key factors in anxiety treatment. You may lower your anxiety attacks by following physical activity that boosts endorphin production of the bran and stimulates your mood. These are feel good hormones that help you reduce anxiety. Try for at least 30 to 40 minutes of walking, cycling, or other physical activities. This is how you may control many of your anxiety symptoms on your own.
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