Social Anxiety Disorder: What You Don’t Know About It Could Harm Your Life

It’s easy to give the wrong diagnosis or think that a social anxiety disorder is just shyness. But a lot of people with social anxiety don’t know they have an anxiety disorder. Approximately seven percent of the population suffers from social anxiety. Recent years have shown progress in treating this type of disorder.

Social anxiety is the fear of social situations and people because of feelings of being judged badly, not being good enough, being embarrassed, humiliated, or feeling self-conscious. This form of phobia, provoked by social situations, exceeds ordinary shyness when it ultimately leads to complete or excessive social avoidance and invariably causes substantial social impairment. People who suffer from this disorder are often the world’s loners.

The physical symptoms of social anxiety disorder are associated with two or more of the signs that are caused by persistent fear or worry—the negative feeling of embarrassment and humiliation, such as restlessness, fatigue, trembling, sweaty palms, a lack of focus, muscle tension, or sleep disturbance.

There is a good chance that you have a social anxiety disorder if you are often angry, have trouble breathing, and feel very anxious and worried. The symptoms of social anxiety are similar to those of normal shyness, but they can be told apart by how intense and extreme the feelings of anxiety and tension are.

In the early stages of the disorder, it’s very important to get the right medical help, whether that’s through drugs, non-drug methods, or a mix of both. Alternative medicines, like therapy, have become more popular in recent years. It is often used to treat social anxiety. There are no clear guidelines on the best course of treatment. It may take several attempts and method or prescription changes to find the one that works for you.