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Social Anxiety Disorders: The Facts and Treatments
by Jim Bruce
Social situations, whether large social events or a small, intimate group can make someone with social anxiety disorder very uncomfortable. Often times, they even make people physically sick. Social situations for people who have social anxiety disorder, are one of the most difficult obstacles these people will ever overcome. Many people with social anxiety will never overcome the problems associated with this disorder and it will become a life long struggle.
For years, little was known about social anxiety disorder, often called agoraphobia. Patients who suffered from anxiety disorder were left to deal with it alone. Even though no one wants to think that social anxiety can ruin one's life, it can and it does. For those that suffer this problem, it becomes an overwhelming condition of their lives.
Symptoms of social anxiety include, palpitations, tremors, sweating, confusion and blushing. But the symptoms are not limited to that list. Those who have social anxiety will often become so embarrassed by their physical manifestations of the disorder that they will often find themselves in a worsened state. Usually if someone with social anxiety notices their symptoms are obvious to others (or they think they are), a panic attack will take over. The person with social anxiety will feel their their legs will become like rubber, their heart pounding, they will find it hard to breathe. often they will feel as if they are going to choke to death.
Social anxiety is something that can be overcome with the proper diagnosis and treatment. Sufferers can find comfort in the fact that medications are being discovered all the time that help tremendously with social anxiety as well as behavior therapy. Two medications that have proven to be successful in treating individuals with social anxiety are Paxil and Zoloft. The FDA has approved both medications for effectively managing social anxiety.
Doctors will often prescribe benzodiazepines for people who are in treatment for social anxiety. Benzodiazepines often become highly addictive therefore people who stick with Paxil and Zoloft, as their primary medication, stand to realize a more productive recovery without adding to the problem without risking physical dependency.
The benzodiazepines which are most often recommended to someone who has been diagnosed with social anxiety include the drugs Xanax, Librium, Klonopin, Tranxene, Ativan, Serax, and Valium. These drugs are prescribed for people who can not face social situations at all without something to take the edge off of their apprehension of the social situation.
Most people with social anxiety will find that the best approach for a full recovery will often be a treatment regime which entails medication as well as behavioral therapy. Patients who recognize that they will need not only medication but will also need to learn to cope with their social situations and may need help in doing this, often find a much quicker recovery within their reach.
One thing that will be highly recommended for the person who is experiencing problems with social situations is to quit avoiding social circumstances. Once individuals completely accept that they have a problem with the avoidance as much as the social anxiety itself, they should be able to get to a place where they can become socially involved again. It is important for someone with social anxiety to face becoming social again. This means that they need to be put in social situations as quickly as possible.
Many people who into behavioral therapy will receive a list of tasks to enable them to jump back into social situations either by plunging right into a social circumstance or by taking baby steps toward the situation. Since social anxiety is a social phobia, many people like to approach their therapy in such a way that they can deal with their social anxiety one step at a time.
For instance, if the person ridden with social anxiety is a doctor's wife in a large city where social events are encountered most weekends, the woman with the social anxiety may have to learn to re-enter her social scene gradually. This may entail getting dressed up in formal gown, driving over to the party at hand, then going home as a first step. The next attempt may be to go to a party and get out of the car. Then standing there for a moment before going back home. Eventually, the woman will go inside the party and stay for a few minutes before retreating home. Each new attempt will be to stay longer at each event. Eventually, the anxiety will diminish and the phobia will retreat.
This baby step method toward recovery sounds a bit juvenile. The fact is that someone with social anxiety is very much traumatized by their disorder and they must be able to re-enter social situations at their own pace. Some people may start their medication plus their therapy and decide they want to put this social anxiety behind them quickly by taking the plunge right into a social situation. This attempt may be successful, although it may take a long while to realize any measure of success.
Social anxiety is something that should not go undiagnosed and treated. The anxiety which one feels from social situations can eventually lead to a deep depression. This couples two very difficult mental problems together postponing a full recovery from either because each difficulty will need to be dealt with together as well as separately. If social anxiety is left untreated, it can ruin your life, the lives of others around you, and it can ruin families. Moms will not attend their children's basketball games. Dads will avoid Sunday dining out with the family, and overall, the entire family will suffer if any family member has social anxiety and can not function in what is perceived as a normal social capacity. While the burden is enormous for the entire family, the person with social anxiety is suffering most of all.
Social anxiety is not a death sentence. But, it sadly can become one without the intervention of someone close encouraging the person with social anxiety to take moves toward getting help. Sometimes people will seek out help on their own. This surely is a step in the right direction. This shows the person is interested in re-entering their own social lives. However, if social anxiety is left untreated, it often leads to depression and has led to suicide.
| Disclaimer: |
The information in this anxiety section has been taken from a number of sources. It is meant to give you information about certain medicines, but it does not cover all of the possible uses, warnings, side effects, or interactions with other medicines and vitamin or herbal supplements.
This information should not be used as medical advice for individual medical problems. Please talk to your doctor, health professional, and/or your pharmacist for prescription or treatment instructions. |
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