Anxiety, Social Phobia and Treatment
Unlike feelings of shyness or performance anxiety, symptoms associated with social phobia greatly limit a person’s functional capacity from day to day.
A person may avoid taking part in important activities, such as work to the point where loss of employment occurs.
Likewise, social phobia symptoms make it difficult for a person to engage in family-based activities, which can result in feeling distanced or isolated from loved ones.
These tendencies can also carry over into a person’s future prospects, as people affected by social phobia are less likely to marry than others.
Who is at risk?
Someone with anxiety or depression is at high risk of developing a social phobia.
According to the Journal of Neuropsychiatric Disease & Treatment, risk factors associated with social phobia may be physical, psychological and/or environmental in nature.
Someone who has family members affected by the condition remains at high risk of developing social phobia.
People suffering from pre-existing depression and/or anxiety disorders also run a high risk of developing social phobia due to the isolative tendencies that come with depression and anxiety-based conditions.
Drug and alcohol abuse can also play into a developing social phobia disorder.
What are the Treatment Options?
Not surprisingly, people affected by social phobia experience considerable emotional distress on a near continual basis.
While it can be easy to try and wait it out, hoping feelings of anxiety will pass, this condition develops out of chemical imbalances in the brain much like any other form of psychological disorder.
In effect, without needed treatment help, symptoms will only worsen over time.
If you or someone you suffer from symptoms of social phobia and have more questions about this condition or need help locating treatment providers in your area, please feel free to call our toll-free helpline at 888-461-2155 for more information.
https://www.disorders.org/social-anxiety/what-is-social-anxiety/
