SOCIAL PHOBIA

DEFINITION:
• Social phobia is a personality disorder that prevent an
individual from having a healthy social life due to
unreasonable excessive fear of being judged by others,
being seen, scrutinize or any activity that requires
social interaction.
• Although there is no scientific proof of the real causes
of social phobia, we know that there are people with
certain characteristics and personality that are more
vulnerable. There are also specific circumstances that
can trigger social phobia in a person.
 SOCIAL PHOBIA CAUSES &RISK
FACTORS
• THERE ARE MANY CAUSES AND RISK FACTORS
ESPECIALLY IN CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESENCE
BUT THE COMMON ONCE ARE:
• HEREDITY CAUSES:IN MANY CASES INDIVIDUALS
AND CHILD WHERE THERE PARENTS HAVE SOCIAL
ANXIETY TEND TO HAVE SOCIAL PHOBIA TOO
DUE TO THERE GENETIC CODE,BUT THIS DOES
NOT MEAN THAT DISORDER HAVE TO PERSIS FOR
LIFE,IT CAN BE OVERCOME WITH PROPER
TREATMENT AT AN EARLY AGE.
 ….CONTD
• ENVIRONMENTAL CAUSE:WHEN WE ARE A
CHILD WE ARE VERY VULNERABLE TO THE
ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH WE LIVE,WE
ACCQUIRE OUR VALUES,BEHAVIOR AND
BELIEFS THAT IN SOME CASE ARE WRONG. IF
A CHILD LIVE IN A FAMILY WHERE THEY AVOID
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES,WHERE THEY DON’T LET
THE CHILD TO GIVE THERE OPINION THEN IT
TENDS TO BE THE CAUSE.
 …..CONTD
Neurological causes :
• THERE ARE ALSO MANY CASES IN WHICH A
CHEMICAL UNBALANCE IN BRAIN CAUSE
SOCIAL PHOBIA.THIS IS DUE TO IMBALANCE
DISTRIBUTION OF SEROTONIN IN BRAIN
CELLS.WHEN THIS HAPPENS A NORMAL
SOCIAL SITUATION CAN BE SEEN AS
FRIGHTENING BY INDIVIDUALS.
• Just because you occasionally get nervous in social
situations doesn’t mean you have social anxiety disorder,
or social phobia. Many people are shy or self-conscious
— at least from time to time — yet it doesn’t get in the
way of their everyday functioning. Social anxiety
disorder, on the other hand, does interfere with your
normal routine and causes tremendous distress.
• For example, it’s perfectly normal to get the jitters
before giving a speech. But if you have social anxiety
disorder, you might worry for weeks ahead of time, call
in sick to get out of it, or start shaking so bad during the
speech that you can hardly speak.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS
• Intense worry for days, weeks, or even months before
an upcoming social situation.
• Extreme fear of being watched or judged by others,
especially people you don’t know.
• Excessive self-consciousness and anxiety in everyday
social situations.
• Fear that you’ll act in ways that that will embarrass or
humiliate yourself.
• Fear that others will notice that you’re nervous.
• Avoidance of social situations to a degree that limits
your activities or disrupts your life
 PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
• Pounding heart or tight chest
• Shaky voice
• Rapid breathing
• Sweating or hot flashes
• Upset stomach, nausea
• Dry mouth
• Trembling or shaking
• Muscle tension
• Blushing
• Dizziness, feeling faint
• Clammy hands
• Twitching
 MEASURES
• Avoid or limit caffeine. Coffee, tea, caffeinated soda,
energy drinks, and chocolate act as stimulants that
increase anxiety symptoms.
• Drink only in moderation. You may be tempted to
drink before a party or other social situation in order
to calm your nerves, but alcohol increases your risk of
having an anxiety attack.
• Quit smoking. Nicotine is a powerful stimulant.
Smoking leads to higher, not lower, levels of anxiety.
• Get adequate sleep. When you’re sleep deprived,
you’re more vulnerable to anxiety. Being well rested
will help you stay calm in social situations.
 MEDICATION
• Three types of medication are used in the treatment of social anxiety
disorder (social phobia):
• Beta blockers – Beta blockers are used for relieving performance anxiety.
They work by blocking the flow of adrenaline that occurs when you’re
anxious. While beta blockers don’t affect the emotional symptoms of
anxiety, they can control physical symptoms such as shaking hands or
voice, sweating, and rapid heartbeat.
• Antidepressants – Antidepressants can be helpful when social anxiety
disorder is severe and debilitating. Three specific antidepressants—Paxil,
Effexor, and Zoloft—have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration for the treatment of social phobia.
• Benzodiazepines – Benzodiazepines are fast-acting anti-anxiety
medications. However, they are sedating and addictive, so they are
typically prescribed only when other medications for social phobia have
not worked
 TREATMENT
• Social anxiety disorder treatment 1: Reducing
physical symptoms of anxiety.
• Social anxiety disorder treatment 2:
Challenging negative thoughts
• Social anxiety disorder treatment 3:
Gradually facing your fears
 CASE STUDY
• Jeff is a quiet sort of a guy. He is reasonably well-liked, mainly because he doesn't step on
anyone's toes and is always willing to go along with other people's suggestions. His acquaintances
sometimes laugh about how shy he is, and how odd it is that a grown man can blush for no
apparent reason. "What color's red, Jeff?"is always guaranteed to get a few laughs. For everyone
except Jeff, of course.
• He's also popular with the boss at work, as he gets on with the job without too much fuss and
doesn't waste time standing around telling jokes and getting mixed up in office politics. His boss
can't quite understand why Jeff turns down opportunities for advancement, but he figures that
he must be happy to stay just where he is.
• Nothing could be further from the truth. Jeff is categorically not happy to be where he is-not in his
career, not in his relationships with people, and not in his life in general. So, why doesn't he do
something about it? Why doesn't he join in and contribute to the world around him? Why doesn't
he take more responsibility at work to get that career moving?
• The reason is that all of those things cause Jeff to feel intensely anxious. So anxious that he can't
think straight. Often he can't even talk properly because his heart is pounding so hard he can't hear
his own voice. Jeff suffers from social phobia.
• People like Jeff will live their lives avoiding the situations that cause them the most anxiety and
thus they are able to hide their affliction from the people around them. Very few people will ever
be let in on the secret; the majority will just think Jeff is shy and sometimes acts a little bit oddly.
Underneath the facade, however, Jeff is often churning with anxiety, or depressed and angry with
his inability to join in and enjoy life. A task as simple as telling a joke to a few work colleagues can
seem like an impossibility, with the level of fear similar to what a normal person may feel if they
were asked to address the United Nations General Assembly.