Table of Contents
How severe can social anxiety get?
Social anxiety disorder is an intense, persistent fear of being watched and judged by others. This fear can affect work, school, and other daily activities. It can even make it hard to make and keep friends. The good news is social anxiety disorder is treatable. Both medication and therapy have been shown effective in treating social anxiety disorder. Social anxiety that occurs in all situations responds best to a combination of medication and therapy, while therapy alone is often sufficient for people with anxiety specific to one type of performance or social situation. Background. Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by a marked fear of negative evaluation in social situations and significant impairments. Even with the most effective treatments, remission rates are around 50%. While it may seem impossible to overcome a feared social situation, you can do it by taking it one small step at a time. The key is to start with a situation that you can handle and gradually work your way up to more challenging situations, building your confidence and coping skills as you move up the “anxiety ladder.” Approximately 5% of children and adolescents suffer from social anxiety disorder. In general, females tend to be more affected by social anxiety than males, and this gender difference is usually more pronounced in adolescents and young adults. For someone suffering with social anxiety, a forthcoming social event will present three different stages that the sufferer will experience psychologically – the anticipatory phase, exposure to the actual situation itself, and post-event processing.
How damaging is social anxiety?
Social anxiety disorder does not just go away, and the consequences often include loneliness, low self- esteem, reduced success in school, depression, and substance misuse. Stressful life events and trauma during childhood can influence the development of social anxiety problems. Some of the exposures known to have predictive value for severe social anxiety include: Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. Bullying or teasing by peers. Following onset in adolescence, patients with generalized SAD often experience a lifelong and unremitting mental disorder characterized by severe anxiety and disability. The even better news: Many people respond well to anxiety treatment without medication. They find that their condition can often be managed entirely, or at least in part, with lifestyle changes and holistic therapies.