SOCIAL PHOBIAS

Social phobia is a diagnosis that is given to individuals who tend to fear certain social situations where they fear being scrutinized or negatively judged by others (these are the stimuli). Individuals with social phobia worry about acting in such a way that may leave them feeling embarrassed or humiliated.

People suffering with social phobia also tend to worry a great deal that they will become anxious within social settings and that others will notice this and judge them negatively for it. As a result, avoidance of certain social situations is often prominent and substance abuse (especially alcohol) is often present with adults and used as a means of reducing or managing social anxiety. Social phobia is a condition that is often missed and under-diagnosed. While shyness is often part of social phobia, they are not the same. Social phobia tends to result in marked distress, dysfunctional avoidance and tends to have a negative impact on ones ability to function within work environments, social situations and within relationships.

Treatment tends to revolve around a significant amount of cognitive therapy, behavioural training and in-vivo exposure.