Anxiety Panic - Social Anxiety



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Anxiety Disorders

Social Anxiety (Phobia)

Social Anxiety is the experience of fear and/or anxiety in social situations in which people think they may embarrass themselves or make a fool of themselves in some way.

There can be varying degrees of social anxiety. Many people can experience some form of anxiety when in a social situation. We all know the nervous anticipation we feel when we have to stand up in front of a group to speak, or give a presentation, or when walking into a social gathering where we don't know many people.

A diagnosis of social anxiety is made if the fear and anxiety is effecting people to a degree that it is debilitating and restricting their life. For instance, if we feel fear and anxiety/panic only when we have to give a presentation in front of a group, (and we are not required to give presentations on a regular basis), then we may have a specific phobia of public speaking. If we fear we will embarrass ourselves or make a fool of ourselves, in some or all areas of our life, to the point where we experience intense anxiety and/or panic then a diagnosis of Social Anxiety could be given.

Common experiences and fears relating to Social Anxiety are

	Fear of embarrassing ourselves in some way
	Fear that we may make a fool of ourselves in some way
	Fear of doing, saying, acting the wrong way
	Fear that others are scrutinizing us or judging us in a negative way
	Fear of what others think of us
	Feelings of inadequacy
	Feelings of self-doubt
	Feeling uncertain and insecure
	Feelings of self consciousness when in the presence of others
	Feelings of shyness
	May be sensitive to the words/actions/reactions of others
	Feel uncertain as to how to act or be around others
	Self-chastisement, judging ourselves as being less then others e.g.. judge what we do as being not good enough, thinking our self as stupid

Other

As a result of these feelings, many people find that they start to avoid certain situations or endure intense anxiety in social situations. These include:

	Fear of public speaking (includes making a presentation, talking to a group of people, speaking at a social occasion eg. wedding)
	Fear of social occasions eg. Christmas gatherings, dinner at a restaurant, party
	Fear if initiating or maintaining conversations
	Fear of doing an activity in front of others eg. photocopying while others wait, using the ATM machine
	Fear of being watched at work
	Fear of writing or signing documents in front of others
	Fear of eating and/or drinking in front of others
	Fear of being in a crowd
	Fear of a general social/ group situation where the fear is others will watch or judge us.
	Fear of indirect evaluation by others
	Fear of shaking hands

People with social anxiety can have panic attacks specific to their fear in social situations and experience symptoms of anxiety.

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