Symptoms of Social-Anxiety Disorder

It is common for most people to get nervous on certain occasions such as say when giving an interview or when addressing a congregation. But for a person who is diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder, the feeling of anxiety and nervousness at such times is so much that the person will go completely out of his way to avoid having to go through that ordeal. In other words, the fear of embarrassment is so much for people with Social-Anxiety Disorder that they will alter their lifestyle to avoid certain social situations.

To get your head around how serious this fear can be, consider the hypothetical case of Jeffery. Each time the new semester at college begins, Jeffery misses the entire first week of classes. He does so because he is afraid that the professors in the respective classes will most probably ask the students to introduce themselves in front of their peers. The fear of having to speak in public is so much for Jeffery that he thinks it best to avoid the whole situation altogether.

The underlying anxiety and fear of Social Anxiety Disorder can then be understood as the fear of being judged, scrutinized or embarrassed in a public setting. Alternatively, the fear can be measured in terms of comparisons with others, meaning thinking one will not be able to perform at par with the competition.

It is important to spot the signs of Social Anxiety Disorder and deal with the condition efficiently and effectively. The symptoms can be both psychological and physical.

Psychologically speaking, a person with Social Anxiety Disorder will tend to start worrying about an upcoming social situation days, and at times even weeks, before the actual date the situation is to unfold. The person may also have intense fear of being judged by others and as a result be very self-conscious in public settings. Simultaneously, the person may also suffer from various physical symptoms such as high heart beat, rapid breathing, shaky voice, nausea, twitching, muscle tension, trembling, and sweating.

While at times the symptoms may seem overbearing and you might feel that there’s nothing you can do to control them, the fact of the matter is there’s a lot you can do. Although there is no ‘best’ treatment option as the cure varies from one person to the next, you can either make use of various self-help techniques which aim to relax the body and mind, or you can seek the help of a medical professional.