Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)
Social anxiety disorder is a mental health condition involving the fear of social interactions. There is an intense fear of being negatively judged or humiliated by others. People with social anxiety disorder (SAD) feel like their anxiety is beyond their ability to control, affecting their day to day activities.
Effects on
Social Development
Social situations almost always provoke fear and anxiety in patients with SAD. Anxiety symptoms may also arise from anticipating difficult interactions. Some common feared situations include having a conversation, public speaking, meeting someone new, dating situations, speaking on the phone, etc. These feelings cause SAD patients to avoid social interactions altogether. This avoidance can lead to further social problems. It can lead to a lack of confidence and more difficulty in coping with difficult situations. Social anxiety disorder is associated with elevated rates of school dropouts, decreased quality of life, and decreased workplace productivity. SAD patients tend to live longer at home, and usually seek employment involving no social contact. There is also an association with being single, unmarried, or divorced. …show more content…
Fear of social interactions prevent patients from meeting new people and from participating in leisure activities. SAD prevents affected young adults from participating in common healthy social interactions, causing impairments in school, work, relationships, and everyday activities. (Iornfino et al., 2016)
Effects on
Psychological Development
When SAD patients are not avoiding social situations, they are enduring them with intense fear or anxiety. There is a fear of being judged, of others noticing anxious or awkward behaviour, and fears of being embarrassed or humiliated. People with the disorder lack assertiveness, and may be excessively submissive. They feel self-conscious in front of others which causes them to change their behaviour. Fear of being embarrassed lead SAD patients to be shy or withdrawn, and be less open in conversations. They find it scary and difficult to be with other people, and tend to isolate themselves. This causes changes in behaviour. People with social anxiety will try their best to avoid eye contact and to avoid social interaction, they become nervous around others, and are afraid of social activities. The anxiety can cause them to blush, excessively sweat, tremble, feel overheated, and have a rapid heart rate. The feelings of extreme anxiety and self-consciousness greatly affect a patient’s everyday life. (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013)
Effects on
Cognitive Development
Individuals with social anxiety disorder tend to overestimate social threats and underestimate their own abilities to handle social situations. People with SAD lack confidence and tend to have very low self-esteem. These traits combined with extreme levels of anxiety have great effect on a person’s ability to perform. They often lack in school or work performance since they may feel anxious from group work or public speaking. SAD patients may also lack in attention, memory, and have difficulty concentrating since they tend to mainly focus on themselves and how they are being perceived versus actually being present in the social situation. (APA, 2013)
Effects on
Biological Development
Social anxiety disorder is genetic.
First-degree relatives have a two to six times greater chance of having SAD. (APA, 2013) People with high behavioural inhibition (experience distress and withdraw from unfamiliar situations), are more vulnerable to environmental influences, such as social anxiety modelling by parents. Also, patients with SAD have been found to have a hypersensitive amygdala. In response to anxiety-inducing stimuli, increased amygdala activation was shown. The amygdala controls fear cognition, and the hyperactivation can cause people to overestimate social threats. Patients were also found to have an enlarged hippocampus depending on the different situations, and generally low levels of dopamine. Brain activity varies in different anxiety-induced situations. (Machado-de-Sousa et al.,
2014)
Treatments
Social Anxiety disorder is a serious mental health condition, and only about half of individuals with the SAD seek treatment in Western Societies. (APA, 2013) Different psychotherapies are available depending on what works best for the patient, and their particular needs. The cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is commonly used with effective results. CBT teaches patients to control their anxiety and learn and practice their social skills. Patients are taught different ways of thinking, behaving, and reacting to stressful situations that help them feel less anxious and fearful. Medication is also available to help treat SAD, some include antidepressants and beta-blockers to block the physical symptoms. However, the medication is only prescribed for short periods of time since tolerance or dependence can be built. Best results are often obtained with a combination of both medication and psychotherapy. It is best to speak to a doctor to find the best treatment for you. (The National Institute of Mental Health, 2016)
Effects on
Social Development
Social situations almost always provoke fear and anxiety in patients with SAD. Anxiety symptoms may also arise from anticipating difficult interactions. Some common feared situations include having a conversation, public speaking, meeting someone new, dating situations, speaking on the phone, etc. These feelings cause SAD patients to avoid social interactions altogether. This avoidance can lead to further social problems. It can lead to a lack of confidence and more difficulty in coping with difficult situations. Social anxiety disorder is associated with elevated rates of school dropouts, decreased quality of life, and decreased workplace productivity. SAD patients tend to live longer at home, and usually seek employment involving no social contact. There is also an association with being single, unmarried, or divorced. …show more content…
Fear of social interactions prevent patients from meeting new people and from participating in leisure activities. SAD prevents affected young adults from participating in common healthy social interactions, causing impairments in school, work, relationships, and everyday activities. (Iornfino et al., 2016)
Effects on
Psychological Development
When SAD patients are not avoiding social situations, they are enduring them with intense fear or anxiety. There is a fear of being judged, of others noticing anxious or awkward behaviour, and fears of being embarrassed or humiliated. People with the disorder lack assertiveness, and may be excessively submissive. They feel self-conscious in front of others which causes them to change their behaviour. Fear of being embarrassed lead SAD patients to be shy or withdrawn, and be less open in conversations. They find it scary and difficult to be with other people, and tend to isolate themselves. This causes changes in behaviour. People with social anxiety will try their best to avoid eye contact and to avoid social interaction, they become nervous around others, and are afraid of social activities. The anxiety can cause them to blush, excessively sweat, tremble, feel overheated, and have a rapid heart rate. The feelings of extreme anxiety and self-consciousness greatly affect a patient’s everyday life. (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013)
Effects on
Cognitive Development
Individuals with social anxiety disorder tend to overestimate social threats and underestimate their own abilities to handle social situations. People with SAD lack confidence and tend to have very low self-esteem. These traits combined with extreme levels of anxiety have great effect on a person’s ability to perform. They often lack in school or work performance since they may feel anxious from group work or public speaking. SAD patients may also lack in attention, memory, and have difficulty concentrating since they tend to mainly focus on themselves and how they are being perceived versus actually being present in the social situation. (APA, 2013)
Effects on
Biological Development
Social anxiety disorder is genetic.
First-degree relatives have a two to six times greater chance of having SAD. (APA, 2013) People with high behavioural inhibition (experience distress and withdraw from unfamiliar situations), are more vulnerable to environmental influences, such as social anxiety modelling by parents. Also, patients with SAD have been found to have a hypersensitive amygdala. In response to anxiety-inducing stimuli, increased amygdala activation was shown. The amygdala controls fear cognition, and the hyperactivation can cause people to overestimate social threats. Patients were also found to have an enlarged hippocampus depending on the different situations, and generally low levels of dopamine. Brain activity varies in different anxiety-induced situations. (Machado-de-Sousa et al.,
2014)
Treatments
Social Anxiety disorder is a serious mental health condition, and only about half of individuals with the SAD seek treatment in Western Societies. (APA, 2013) Different psychotherapies are available depending on what works best for the patient, and their particular needs. The cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is commonly used with effective results. CBT teaches patients to control their anxiety and learn and practice their social skills. Patients are taught different ways of thinking, behaving, and reacting to stressful situations that help them feel less anxious and fearful. Medication is also available to help treat SAD, some include antidepressants and beta-blockers to block the physical symptoms. However, the medication is only prescribed for short periods of time since tolerance or dependence can be built. Best results are often obtained with a combination of both medication and psychotherapy. It is best to speak to a doctor to find the best treatment for you. (The National Institute of Mental Health, 2016)