Social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, is an anxiety disorder in which a person has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. Anxiety (intense nervousness) and self-consciousness arise from a fear of being closely watched, judged and criticized by others.
A
person with social anxiety disorder is afraid that he or she will make
mistakes and be embarrassed or humiliated in front of others. The fear
may be made worse by a lack of social skills or experience in social
situations. The anxiety can build into a panic attack.
As a result of the fear, the person endures certain social situations
in extreme distress or may avoid them altogether. In addition, people
with social anxiety disorder often suffer "anticipatory" anxiety -- the
fear of a situation before it even happens -- for days or weeks before
the event. In many cases, the person is aware that the fear is
unreasonable, yet is unable to overcome it.
People with
social anxiety disorder suffer from distorted thinking, including false
beliefs about social situations and the negative opinions of others.
Without treatment, social anxiety disorder can negatively interfere
with the person's normal daily routine, including school, work, social
activities and relationships.
People with social anxiety
disorder may be afraid of a specific situation, such as speaking in
public. However, most people with social anxiety disorder fear more
than one social situation. Other situations that commonly provoke
anxiety include:
- Eating or drinking in front of others.
- Writing or working in front of others.
- Being the center of attention.
- Interacting with people, including dating or going to parties.
- Asking questions or giving reports in groups.
- Using public toilets.
- Talking on the telephone.
Social anxiety disorder may be linked to other mental illnesses, such as panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression.
In fact, many people with social anxiety disorder initially see the
doctor with complaints related to these disorders, not because of
social anxiety symptoms.
What Causes Social Anxiety Disorder?
There is no
single known cause of social anxiety disorder, but research suggests
that biological, psychological and environmental factors may play a
role in its development.
-
Biological:
Social anxiety disorder may be related to an imbalance of the
neurotransmitter serotonin. Neurotransmitters are special chemical
messengers that help move information from nerve cell to nerve cell in
the brain. If the neurotransmitters are out of balance, messages cannot
get through the brain properly. This can alter the way the brain reacts
to stressful situations, leading to anxiety. In addition, social
anxiety disorder appears to run in families. This means that the
disorder may be passed on in families through genes, the material that
contains instructions for the function of each cell in the body.
-
Psychological:
The development of social anxiety disorder may stem from an
embarrassing or humiliating experience at a social event in the past.
-
Environmental:
People with social anxiety disorder may develop their fear from
observing the behavior of others or seeing what happened to someone
else as the result of their behavior (such as being laughed at or made
fun of). Further, children who are sheltered or overprotected by their
parents may not learn good social skills as part of their normal
development.