Social Phobia Anxiety Disorder - Shyness & Social Anxiety Treatment Australia

Social Phobia is an anxiety disorder where the sufferer fears being negatively judged or evaluated by others and therefore they are afraid of doing something to embarrass or humiliate themselves in public. Some common social phobias are:
Public speaking Performing on stage Dealing with authority figures Eating and drinking Writing Dating Using public toilets Sexual performance Taking an exam Social encounters in general
Some social phobia sufferers may only fear and/or avoid only one specific situation whereas others may be concerned about several social or performance situations.
When the social phobia sufferer is faced with one of their feared situations they may experience physical symptoms of anxiety such as: blushing & sweating dizziness heart palpitations tense muscles dry mouth trembling nausea
Some sufferers do not experience physical symptoms of anxiety but feel very self conscious and afraid. Shy /socially phobic people believe that other people expect them to behave perfectly and if they don't they will be seen by others as stupid and consequently be rejected. Shy people also look for negative reactions from other people which distracts them focussing on the task at hand and seeing the positive feedback. Furthermore, Shy/ socially phobic people underestimate their social skills and abilities. They tend to think that they are e.g., a boring person to talk to or looking nervous when giving a speech. Given that social phobia sufferers experience marked mental and physical anxiety they tend to avoid the feared social situations and in severe cases may therefore be very socially isolated.
Why do I have Social phobia? Research suggests that people may inherit a predisposition to develop social phobia. However, environmental factors such as family patterns and specific negative experiences also influence the degree and form shyness/ social phobia takes. How common is social phobia? Social phobia is the most common anxiety disorder and is thought to affect 1 in 10 people at some time in their lives. Approximately 3% of people are thought to have social phobia at any one time. When does it start? Social phobia tends to begin in childhood or adolescence. According to the World Psychiatric Association (1995), roughly 40% of social phobias begin before the age of 10 and 95% start before the age of 20. 43% of children with social anxiety have anxiety driven school refusal. At least 30% of school refusers are thought to have social phobia. What effects does social phobia have on sufferers lives? According to the World Psychiatric Association (1995), social anxiety sufferers , compared to the general population, are more likely to: be single attain a lower level of education have other psychiatric conditions such as: depression, simple phobia and agoraphobia contemplate and/or commit suicide be on social security payments or on a disability pension have few or no friends and acquaintances abuse drugs and/or alcohol have an erratic work history, e.g. being repeatedly fired, often absent from or late to work. Given that social phobia can have a very negative impact upon ones life it is important to seek treatment as early as possible. Social Phobia Success Stories Many people with social phobia have come forward in recent years to reduce the stigma attached to anxiety disorders and to share their stories of recovery. American entertainers such as Donny Osmond, Barbara Streisand, Kim Basinger have all spoken to the media of their experience of social phobia and eventual recovery. Furthermore, Australians such as actors Garry McDonald, Rebecca Gibney and Simon Palomares and Commonwealth Gold medallist Susie O'Neill have all overcome their anxiety to lead fulfilling lives. You can too. Information from Pocket Reference to Social Phobia by the World Psychiatric Association, Social Phobia Task Force. Editor S.A. Montgomery

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