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Social Anxiety Everyday there are people living with fear, avoidance, pain, terror, and doubt. This is the disorder of social anxiety. Social anxiety can be found throughout the entire country. Both men and women are suffering from this disorder (Main Symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder). Not only is social anxiety a disorder but, it is also a phobia (Charles H. Elliott & Laura L. Smith). Social anxiety is an apprehension towards a relationship an individual may have with people around him or her.
Social anxiety isn’t Just the fear of Judgments but, it can lead to keen symptoms that can evilly impact an individuals life. An individual suffering from Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is very shy, centered and afraid of his or her surroundings. What causes this disorder? Well, most likely, SAD is a natural response to many people. Correspondingly, it can also be caused from biological factors. Social anxiety can often be caused in the early years of an individual’s childhood.
Jerome Kananga, a researcher from Harvard University has found that these children all had a high resting heart rate; their heart rates would increase when the children are faced with stress. Well, the parents of these children also had an increasing heart rate when they were going through tough times. So biologically, SAD can be transferred to the child from his or her parent. The individual may have gone through his or her entire childhood suffering with SAD without giving the disorder any recognition until later on in his/her life. The Science of Shyness: The Biological Causes of Social Anxiety Disorder) People who are not suffering from SAD may seem to believe that this disorder is something that shouldn’t be taken under too much consideration and that it is Just a phase that people go through in life and it is a mental problem rather than a physical robber. I’m here to prove that they are wrong. Yes, social anxiety is mostly all in one’s mind but, this disorder can give a lot of pain to a body. Social anxiety can go to as bad as passing out in public to as little as hand sweats.
This still does not mean this disorder is not serious. Social anxiety can cause an individual to get short and rapid breathing, chest tightening, body twitches, muscle tension, hot chills, and fast, forceful heart rates (Physical Social Anxiety Symptoms). Similarly to the Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PITS), individuals who are suffering with SAD try to avoid anything that reminds them or cause them of any trauma. The ones who are suffering from SAD may have trouble sleeping, relaxing, concentration, and controlling their emotions. (Richard P. Haling & Susan Krause Whitehorse).
Basically, the bigger the trauma the greater the risk that the individual who is already suffering from SAD may develop PITS. John Lubbock once said “A day of worry is more exhausting than a day of work. ” Many individuals suffering from SAD can easily relate to Lubbock on this point. This disorder can efficiently take over an individual’s attitude within a few mere seconds. I eave interviewed a close friend of mine that is dealing with this disorder, here is what he had to say. “l found out I was diagnosed with social anxiety before freshman was cutting myself and I was a very closed and quiet person.
I tried my best to be nice to people but, sometimes I would lose all of my cool and lash out so they would leave me alone. ” Aside from him, everyone is different. The most usual temperament that other people would have is to be very nice but, they would mumble a lot, stutter and most likely, turn around and walk away. I have found evidence that proves why people “lash out” quickly when they diagnosed with SAD. They are very violent and they can effortlessly go from a shy person to a tight-fisted monster (Richard P. Whaling & Susan Krause Whitehorse) There are many symptoms regarding social anxiety to know if you are diagnosed or not.
Many people may get social anxiety mixed up with being nervous in social activities, but there is a big difference between the two that will be covered later. When an individual (that is suffering from SAD) is around a small group of people he or she would feel extreme shyness, stomachache, fast heart rate, dizziness and a want to cry. This is a red flag that someone can be diagnosed with social anxiety. Usually, when an individual goes in for testing for SAD he/she would go through stages of safe laboratory tests. Their doctor or health provider would have a list of common situations to be able to analyze is the individual has SAD.
Most of these symptoms would include a persistent, intense and chronic fear of being watched and judged by others. Usually, when an individual is going through strange stages in their life and he or she is starting to develop SAD they might be go undergo Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). GAD go through phases such as: feeling restless, irritable, gaiety, tense muscles, and there is difficulty on concentrating, falling asleep or even staying awake (Charles H. Elliot & Laura L. Smith). Social anxiety has many stages that people tend to go through. The first stage is usually depression.
When it comes to SAD, feelings of anxiety and the worry about being around a group of people can eventually transform to feeling upset and frustrated in general. When the average person has hit the depression stage he or she would often have to find help, but, those are diagnosed with SAD have a difficult time reaching out for help because of the disorder they are in. As a result, most people with SAD would not receive any outside help nor treatment. The disorder of social anxiety and depression can relate on one level. Both of the two symptoms go through withdrawals.
The SAD withdrawals deal with the fear of negative evaluation from peers; while the one who are diagnosed with depression have a retraction of life satisfaction. Although, when an individual develops SAD it is usually know for him or her to gain depression later on in life; this isn’t the road for everyone. Depression isn’t the only stage that SAD diagnosed individuals go through. There is always a usability that they can turn to drinking alcohol and that alcohol consuming is the answer to everything. Someone is choosing to take this route is likely to be in the risk of committing suicide. Social Withdrawal Differs Between SAD and Depression) For someone having to go through SAD, life can change dramatically. Individuals with this disorder have a hard time going to school and they obtain an erratic working history. They have a habit from migrating school to school and workplace to workplace. The reason for this is because they are afraid of being known as a failure when they undergo a project or a school assignment. I have asked my astounding, He had said. “School is the worst six hours of my life. I would fake sick a lot in the morning to my mom back in middle school and she kind of believed me.
She didn’t know that I didn’t want to go to school because I was scared of the possibility that I had to read a sentence in Language Arts class, or something. ” This had me thinking about people who started working and if they had the same behavior. Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to interview a grown working adult. But, I have seen clips on Youth. I have come to the conclusion that the adults have it worse than the teenagers. Teenagers are going to school with the same people everyday; while working adults are working with at least two or three new people from different firms, clients, and companies around the state/country.
In a way, teenagers and adults have a similar way to react about going to school or going to work; they would not show up, and the working adults would get fired and move to a new Job. Those who are nibbling in psychology or are part of the psychiatric study may argue that social anxiety and depression should be put under the same umbrella. Generalized anxiety disorder have much more similarities with anxiety disorders Han depression. Yes, depression and anxiety come from the same root, they arise from different environmental experiences.
The overall combination of symptoms and treatments are very different. Individuals who are diagnosed with SAD are very hyper vigilant negativity and stress about the future. They are very superstitious that they would be involved in negative threats and would not be able to cope with the panic attacks if a situation like that were to occur. On the other hand, people who are diagnosed with depression have a bad habit to think more on the side of self- relevant negative information. They focus on what they envision themselves rather than what would actually happen.
Also, the risk of suicide has a higher chance of happening when someone is diagnosed with anxiety rather than depression. Those with depression would start cutting themselves and take as many pills as their body can take, but they don’t have the real temptation on putting their life to an end. (Telling the Difference Between Depression and Anxiety Disorders) When it comes to treatment for social anxiety, there are two best and well known treatments. These two treatments are: medication and behavioral therapy. For most teens, medication is the best way to go.
Medication is the best alternative for a teenager because a prescribed medicine can ease away the nervous symptoms of social anxiety they contain. However, the medication does not work for every teenager. There is no possible way to predict that a medication that works for one teen will work for every teen. On most teenagers, the medicine would not be effective at all. This is when the teenager would have to turn to behavioral therapy. Most adults turn to this method as well. These patients of behavioral therapy would have a trained therapist that can guide them and change their fearful soul that makes them anxious in social situations.
With social anxiety, the best type of behavioral therapy to use is exposure therapy. Exposure therapy works slowly by exposing the patient in small social gatherings and would wait on the patient to be comfortable around other people. This specific technique also shows the patient that social gatherings aren’t as bad as he or she made it out to be in his or her mind. Suffering from this disorder and it is costing them their life. This disorder gradually builds up throughout the years and it Just gets worse and it won’t get better until they reach out and get help.