Social phobia or social anxiety disorder is a type of phobia that is characterized by excessive anxiety or fear when interacting with people around you. If not treated immediately, social phobia can have an impact on the disruption of daily activities and the sufferer's quality of life.
Humans are social creatures. Interacting with other people is one of the most basic things for every human being. However, for some people, excessive fear and anxiety is experienced when someone has to interact or be in a crowd. This condition is called social phobia.
It is not uncommon for people with social phobia to experience depression, causing disruption of work productivity or achievement at school. However, this condition can be treated in various ways, from therapy to medication.
Symptoms of Social Phobia
A person with social phobia will feel anxious and panicked when he has to meet other people or be in public places. This is due to worry or fear when noticed, judged, and criticized by others.
People with social phobia will also be afraid to do things in public because they are afraid that other people will embarrass or make fun of everything they do.
Therefore, people with social phobia tend to avoid meeting or being with people other than family. As a result, he will find it difficult to make friends and tend to be unable to maintain friendships.
Social interactions that are considered normal, but become a problem for people with social phobia are talking to strangers, making eye contact, dating, entering a room full of people, starting a conversation, and even going to school or work.
In addition to some of the symptoms and signs above, the symptoms of social phobia can be divided into two parts, namely:
Psychic symptoms
There are several psychological symptoms of social phobia that can be recognized, including:
- Feeling very afraid that someone will find out that he is nervous
- Feeling very anxious there are people who know they are stressed
- Avoid parties because you don't like being in crowded places
- Avoid eating, drinking, or working in public
- Avoid using public toilets
- Feeling panicky when receiving a phone call
- Avoid crowded places like shopping malls
Physical symptoms
People with social phobia can also experience physical symptoms, especially when feelings of fear and anxiety are present. These physical symptoms include:
- Body sweating or shaking
- Fatigue
- Red face or cheeks
- Heart rate becomes faster
- Headache
- Difficult to breathe
- Muscles feel tense
- Nausea or stomach feels bad
- Diarrhea
- Difficult to speak
- Dizzy
- Feeling like fainting
Social Phobias Are More Than Just Shyness
Although social phobia is characterized by an uncomfortable attitude in public places or in crowds, this condition is much different from being shy. People who are shy may feel anxious or embarrassed when in public or speaking in front of many people.
While people with social phobia, already feel anxious, afraid, and panicked, long before speaking in public or being in the company of other people. Symptoms such as the heart beating faster and difficulty focusing on the situation also occur long before the sufferer of the phobia has to speak in public.
Another difference between shyness and social phobia is that shyness is temporary or short term. This condition also does not interfere with social life, such as school, work, and friendships.
Meanwhile, people with social phobia experience it in the long term to disrupt their social life.
Why Can Social Phobia Occur?
Social phobia is not known for certain. However, research results show that social phobia can be triggered by the following:
1. Genetics
Social phobia may occur in a child due to imitating the behavior of their parents who also have social phobia.
2. Environment
Social phobia can also occur if you grew up in an overprotective family environment or even experienced violence in the family. In addition, social phobia may also be experienced by someone who has had a bad experience, such as sexual harassment or sexual harassment bullying.
3. Lack of serotonin hormone
The condition of social phobia may also be related to the hormone, namely serotonin, which functions to regulate mood. Anxiety disorders may also be caused by a lack of the hormone serotonin in the body.
4. Brain structure
Another cause of social phobia is thought to be related to the amygdala. The amygdala is the part of the brain that controls anxious thoughts or feelings, and regulates responses to fear. Social phobia can occur if the amygdala is overactive.
The Right Way to Overcome Social Phobia
In fact, people with social phobia realize that the fear and anxiety they experience are excessive, even unnatural. However, most of them do not know how to deal with it.
There are several ways to deal with social phobia, including:
1. Medical treatment
The use of drugs to overcome social phobia must be in accordance with the instructions and under the supervision of a doctor, because it cannot be used arbitrarily. Some types of drugs that are commonly used are: paroxetine or sertraline.
In some sufferers, the symptoms of social phobia can be reduced by regularly taking medication. However, some other sufferers may not feel better by taking these drugs. In fact, symptoms can reappear when the drug is stopped.
The use of drugs may also cause side effects, namely nausea, stomach pain, headaches, and difficulty sleeping.
2. Psychotherapy
Another treatment method that can be done to overcome social phobia is behavioral therapy and psychotherapy cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The therapist will help sufferers recognize fears as well as train them to change fear and anxiety into a more pleasant feeling.
Patients will be trained to realize that the situation does not really need to be too feared and worried. This therapy begins by exposing the patient to a mild uncomfortable situation, then gradually increases.
The advantage of this therapy is not only curing the symptoms, but also social phobia itself. So, when the sufferer has managed to recover, it is less likely that social phobia will come back.
3. Relaxation therapy
In this therapy, the patient will be taught breathing and meditation techniques. Thus, sufferers can also do simple relaxation at home so they feel more relaxed and over time social phobia can be cured.
Unfortunately, this method can only help reduce stress caused by certain social phobias and is less effective at dealing with general social phobias.
Don't let your life be disrupted because of social phobia. This condition can be cured, as long as you are serious about the treatment given. Therefore, if you experience symptoms of social phobia, immediately consult a doctor so that treatment can be carried out immediately.