A lot of people suffer from social phobia or social anxiety. Social anxiety has been diagnosed in approximately 19.2 million people in the United States. It is the third most common mental disease in the United States. There are various approaches that can be used to beat social anxiety.
Before treatment can be started, you must first know what social anxiety is. A person who has social anxiety experiences excessive and unreasonable fear of social gatherings. This social anxiety comes from the fear of being judged, criticized, or closely watched by others. Because of a person’s feeling of unreasonable fear, he or she feels extremely anxious in social situations that he or she may even avoid these. Even the mere thought of the upcoming event already makes a person with social anxiety experience what is called anticipatory anxiety. These people know that it is very unreasonable to feel severely anxious over such circumstances but they do not know how to overcome it.
Social anxiety is usually incited by various social events. Some examples of these social events are public speaking, dining in front of other people, using public restrooms, talking on the telephone, mixing with other people, and many others. Fear over these social events usually come from distorted thinking, negative opinion of other people, and false beliefs. How is a person with social anxiety diagnosed?
If symptoms of social anxiety are observed, the doctor will initially conduct an evaluation of a person’s medical history and a physical exam. The doctor will have to rule out the existence of a physical disorder by conducting various laboratory tests.
After ruling out the existence of a physical disease, the doctor will now refer the patient to the care of a mental health professional. Assessment and diagnosis of social anxiety are done by the psychologist or psychiatrist through interviews and other assessment tools. Upon diagnosis of social anxiety, the proper treatment strategy for the patient will be prescribed.
Years ago, cognitive-behavior therapy is the best method to beat social anxiety. Cognitive-behavior therapy is about changing a person’s fear into a more rational way of thinking. In this treatment, a person with social anxiety learns how to react differently in social situations and how to stop avoiding them. There are two ways that cognitive-behavior therapy is done: systematic desensitization and real life exposure to situations.
In systematic desensitization, a person imagines the situation that causes anxiety. During the patient’s imagination, the therapist guides him or her in understanding and overcoming his or her fears. Real life exposure to instances that cause anxiety is also another way. This exposure is also done with the aid of a therapist to guide the person through his or her fears.
Another way to beat social anxiety is through prescription medications. These medications are tranquilizers, antidepressants, and beta-blockers. These drugs may be used with cognitive-behavior therapy in order to minimize the symptoms of social anxiety.
Many people have tried prescription drugs and cognitive-behavior therapy. Only one treatment has been shown effective to beat social anxiety and that is Panic Away.
You can now get rid of social anxiety for good. Learn more information on how to beat social anxiety through Panic Away.
