by Almondie Shampine

Created on: May 27, 2008   Last Updated: May 28, 2008

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, social phobia affects 5.3 million adult Americans in any given year. It is also known as a social anxiety disorder and can be specific (certain situations) or generalized (all situations). According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, social phobia is a persistent fear of one or more situations in which the person is exposed to possibly scrutiny by others and fears that he or she may do something or act in a way that will be humiliating or embarrassing. It can be dehabilitating without treatment.

Symptoms of Social Anxiety Phobia

A persistent and irrational fear of social or performance situations that the sufferer will act in a way that will be humiliating or embarassing
Exposure to the feared social situation provokes anxiety
The person recognizes the fear as irrational, but are unable to control it
Situational/Social/or Performance avoidance based on these irrational fears and their concurring anxiety
Onset typically between 11 and 17
Twice as many females than males
The fear is not due to another underlying disorder, such as panic disorder, or as a result of drugs or medications the person is on
Sweating/Trembling
Excessive blushing
Heart palpiations
Nausea or belly ache
Intense discomfort
Possible onset of panic attacks
An inability to function normally as a result of excessive social phobia anxiety
Cognitive distortions such as self-deprecation, self-consciousness, devaluation of social skills, self-blaming attributions for social difficulties
Walk disturbance

CAUSES/TRIGGERS OF SOCIAL PHOBIA
Genetic pre-disposition
Nurture or observational-learning/modeling from family members who suffer from a certain phobia or are more socially isolated or of a fearful nature
Adolescents having an insecure attachment with mother throughout infancy more likely to develop social phobia
Previous negative social experience particularly for individuals high in interpersonal sensitivity or observing or hearing about negative social experiences of others
Long-term effects of not fitting in, bullying, rejection, harrassment, unpleasant experiences with peers
Social/cultural influences, societal negative attitude toward shyness and avoidance, over-emphasis on other's opinions, shame, importance of social standing, etc . . .
Imbalance of the neurotransmitter serotonin or increased serotonin and dopamine, hypersensitized amygdala
Comorbidity often occurs alongside another disorder such as clinical depression,

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