Social Anxiety Disorder
Feeling nervous in social situations can be a normal reaction to an overwhelming experience. However, people with social anxiety disorder experience excessive worry about doing something embarrassing or humiliating, or that others will think badly of them. The constant feeling of being under pressure to perform can interfere with social interactions and prevent people with social anxiety disorder from participating in social situations all together. Social anxiety disorder can interfere with a person’s daily functioning and can be disruptive to, family relationships, and work or school.
Key facts
Social anxiety disorder is one of the most common anxiety disorders
It is not uncommon for people to fear some social situations and feel quite comfortable in others
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been shown to be more effective than medication alone at treating social anxiety
Factors that influence social anxiety
Social anxiety can result from genetic factors, environmental factors, or a combination of both. People who have a family history of anxiety and mental health concerns, and people who have experienced trauma, are at greater risk for developing social anxiety than the general population. Additionally, people who experience social anxiety are at high risk for developing a substance use disorder.
Therapy for social anxiety
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) allows individuals to manage anxiety in social situations by teaching coping skills and often includes gradual exposure to social situations to build tolerance. CBT has been shown to be more effective than medication alone in treating social anxiety disorder. For individuals whose social anxiety is linked to a traumatic experience Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) may be most effective.
Medication can also be used in conjunction with talk therapy to treat social anxiety.
Next steps
Our psychologists are here to help. To learn more about social anxiety or to book a free phone consultation, please call us at 780-860-7338 or fill out our contact form.
References
AnxietyBC. (2017). What is Social Anxiety Disorder?Retrieved from AnxietyBC: https://www.anxietybc.com/adults/social-anxiety-disorder
Richards, T. A. (2017). Social Anxiety Fact Sheet: What is Social Anxiety Disorder? Symptoms, Treatment, Prevalence, Medications, Insight, Prognosis. Retrieved from Social Anxiety Association: http://socialphobia.org/social-anxiety-disorder-definition-symptoms-treatment-therapy-medications-insight-prognosis