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Social Anxiety Related Articles - Part 3

How To Stop Excessive Sweating Naturally

Sweating is a normal bodily function which serves to cool the body.

Excessive sweating is not an appropriate response to the atmospheric temperature and the level of physical activity the person is engaging in.

Read More

Facial blushing treatment

Excessive facial blushing is such a problematic anxiety symptom for some social phobia sufferers that they seek treatment. Sufferers of this condition find it highly embarassing that they flush so easily.

Cognitive Behavioural Blushing Treatment

People who fear blushing worry that:

  • “My face ( and neck and/or chest) will go red
  • “”People will notice if I blush””
  • “People will judge me negatively if they notice I’m going red””

Sufferers of excessive facial blushing may try to prevent themselves from going red by:

  • trying to stay cool ( e.g. turning on the air conditioning, under dressing, having cold drinks, avoiding hot drinks
  • avoiding eye contact
  • avoiding some topics of conversation which they fear may trigger redness

People who flush down their neck and/or chest may  resort to safety behaviours to prevent people from noticing they are flushing  such as

  •  wearing roll neck jumpers, button up shirts and turning up their collar
  • wearing heavy foundation on their skin,
  • covering their face with their hands,
  • wearing their hair long etc.
  • dimming lights or seeking out dark areas in a room

People with a blushing phobia may  volunteer a comment when they redden  about the room being hot or feeling sick,  in the hope that this will prevent observers from concluding that they are reddening due to anxiety and think badly of them for doing so. Excessive blushing sufferers may also avoid social situations where they fear they may go red, be the centre of attention etc. Read More

Dating Anxiety and How to Gain Confidence with Women

Dating anxiety is commonplace as everyone wishes to present well and make a good impression. However, some people experience a debilitating degree of fear to the point that they have a dating phobia. They cannot function effectively on a date, avoid  the scenario altogether or will resort to drugs and/or alcohol to calm their nerves.

Read More

Medication

Medication can be very helpful for sufferers of anxiety as its decreases anxiety symptoms whilst you are taking it. HOWEVER, MEDICATION DOES NOT CURE ANXIETY DISORDERS. Some people may choose not to use medication, others will choose to combine cognitive behavioural therapy or some other type of therapy with medication, and some people may only utilize medication. Read More

Relaxation

Our bodies respond to anxiety provoking thoughts and feared situations with muscle tension. When a socially anxious person interprets a social situation as threatening the fight or flight response is triggered , hormones are released and the involuntary nervous system gets the muscles tense ready to help the individual to respond to danger (Andrews, Crino, Hunt, Lampe & Page,1994). Read More

Slow Breathing Social Anxiety

Slow breathing can relieve anxiety and prevent you from having a panic attack, if you do it as soon as you notice yourself overbreathing or becoming anxious. Socially anxious people are advised to do slow breathing before tackling a feared social situation or at any time they feel anxious. Read More

Exposure Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder

Exposure therapy is essential if you are to overcome your  social phobia. That is, you must put yourself in the social/performance situations you are worried about. Many social phobia sufferers have got into the habit of either (1) totally avoiding the social occasions  that trigger anxiety  and/or (2) using subtle avoidance behaviours or (3) self medicating with alcohol.

 

Subtle avoidance behaviours include:

  • speaking softly
  • speaking too fast
  • giving short answers to questions so as to limit the interaction  and get it over and done with as soon as possible
  • avoiding/minimizing eye contact
  • trying to hide  symptoms such as: sweating, blushing and shaking
  • only speaking when spoken to
  • refraining from voicing one’s opinions
  • folding one’s arms across one’s body
  • covering one’s face with one’s hand

 

Although  confronting your fears  sounds frightening, your therapist will give you the tools to cope with exposure (e.g. rational thinking, slow breathing and isometric relaxation).

 

Read More

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

What does cognitive behavioural therapy for overcoming shyness and social anxiety involve?

Cognitive behavoural therapy posits that how you think affects how you feel, and that your emotions influence your behaviour. Therefore if you think realistic, helpful thoughts you mood will be better and you will function better.

The example below  — for someone who fears public speaking — illustrates the interaction between thoughts, physical symptoms and behaviour.

Read More

Social Anxiety Medication

Psychological Treatment or  Medication for Social Anxiety?

Cognitive behavioral therapy can be effective as medication in the treatment of social anxiety. Psychological treatment should be the treatment of choice provided it is accessible, acceptable to the client and appropriate to the severity of the person’s condition.

Some people may choose not to use medication, others will choose to combine cognitive behavioral therapy or some other type of therapy with medication, and some people may only utilize medication.

Some Drugs that are NOT recommended for social anxiety:

  • buspirone
  • impramine
  • propranolol
  • St. John’s wort
  • alcohol
  • atenolol

 

Western Australian Psychotropic Drugs Committee

Anxiety Disorders Drug Treatment Guidelines August 2008

 

SSRIs and Social Anxiety Disorder

SRRIs are commonly used to treat social anxiety  as there is much evidence that they are efficacious,  are generally well tolerated by patients, and are unlikely to be lethal if taken as an overdose.

The major negatives of using SRRIs to treat social anxiety are that the drugs are slow to take effect, 4-12 weeks and may aggravate anxiety symptoms at first. SSRI drugs can interact with other medications so before taking any medication in addition to your SSRI you should check with your doctor that is safe to do so.

Side Effects
You may feel more anxious at first. Side effects may also include: poor sleep, fatigue and increased sweating. There may also be an adverse impact on one’s sexual functioning.

 

Seratonin Selective Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) recommended for social anxiety disorder are:

  • citalopram
  • fluoxetine
  • paroextine
  • escitalopram
  • fluvoxamine
  • sertraline

 

Western Australian Psychotropic Drugs Committee

Anxiety Disorders Drug Treatment Guidelines August 2008

 

Other drugs less commonly used to treat social anxiety disorder

  • Serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRI)    e.g.venlafaxine
  • Monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI)  e.g.phenelzine
  • Reversible inhibitors of monoamine oxidase (RIMA ) e.g. moclobemide
  • Noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (NRI) e.g.reboxetine
  • Antipsychotics  (AP) e.g. olanzapine, quetiapine
  • Benzodiazepines (BZD) e.g. clonazepam, bromazepam
  • Anticonvulsants (AC) e.g. gabapentin, pregablain, topiramate

 

SERONTOIN & NORADRENALINE RE-UPTAKE INHIBITORS (SNRI’S)
SNRI antidepressants influence the levels of serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain. Venlafaxine(Effexor) is an example of a SNRI used to treat social anxiety disorder.

Side Effects
Side effects may include: nausea, sexual dysfunction, sweating, sleep disturbance and tremours, as well as an increase in blood pressure.

 

MONOAMINE OXIDASE INHIBITORS (MAOI’S)
These drugs are antidepressants and work by inhibiting the breakdown of serotonin and norepinephrine, therefore the levels of these neurotransmitters rise and cause a decrease in anxiety.

 

Limitations:
People taking this form of medication have to follow a strict diet. They must not eat certain foods which contain tyramine (e.g.most aged cheeses, most alcoholic beverages, sausage products & Marmite) as these foods can interact with the medication to suddenly increase blood pressure and cause symptoms such as headache and vomiting. Users of MAOIs also have to be careful about drugs they take in addition to their MAOI. A severe high blood pressure reaction, in response to inappropriate food, beverages or medication, left untreated can lead to stroke or death.

 

Side Effects:
Common side effects of MAOIS include: insomnia, fatigue or drowsiness, sexual dysfunction, and weight gain.

 

Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines include drugs such as Valium, Ducene, Serepax, Xanax, Kalma. Benzodiazepines work very quickly to calm you but their effects do not last long.

Side effects:
Single doses can cause fatigue and drowsiness and therefore can reduce your ability to think on your feet (e.g. in a job interview or oral exam).

Limitations
Benzodiazepines have some significant drawbacks. Firstly, people who take benzodiazepines on a daily basis for more than a few weeks may become physically dependent upon them. Therefore, these drugs should not be ceased abruptly as there is the risk of rebound anxiety and withdrawal effects. Please note: Anyone planning to reduce and or cease their benzodiazepines should do so in consultation with their doctor.

Secondly, these drugs may be abused; therefore people who have a history of substance abuse may be advised to avoid benzodiazepines.

Thirdly. alcohol should not be consumed when you are taking benzodiazepines as it increases the sedative effect of the medication.

Furthermore, people taking benzodiazpines need to exercise caution re driving or operating potentially dangerous machinery until they work out how they respond to the medication.

 

Side Effects
Side effects may include: poor memory, fatigue, sleeping longer, impaired coordination, and loss of interest in sex. Benzodiazepines may also worsen a sufferer’s depression.

 

Helping rid yourself of anxiety takes more than medication. Help is only a phone call away, ring now for an appointment with a trained clinical psychologists on 0429 88 3671

 

Exercise

Physical exercise is not a cure  for social anxiety, but regular physical activity is a simple and effective means of reducing stress. Social Anxiety sufferers who exercise regularly are likely to find that engaging in sporting activity/walking etc decreases  their level of anxiety.

Physical exercise is the outlet for the body when it’s in the fight or flight state. Exercise releases the natural chemicals — such as adrenalin — that accumulate during stress. Exercise relieves chronic muscle tension, reduces insomnia and decreases depression and anxieties Read More

 

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