Social Anxiety Disorder Treatment

Stress can be caused by any number of factors but most commonly a simple thought process that provokes a specific emotional response, such as sadness, fear or rage, in the individual is the cause for most of our day to day stress.

When someone experiences anxiety on the other hand, there is a strong feeling of uneasiness and apprehension that doesn’t always readily reveal its source. This can increase a person’s anxiety due to the fact that the reason why they are feeling anxious is not always obvious. So while stress and anxiety share certain similarities they are very different with causes being different and treatment options similarly needing to be different. Stress is generally speaking a milder type of condition while anxiety is a diagnosable condition that has specific psychological causes that need to be addressed in treatment.

When someone experiences stress the causes can be many. Emotional trauma is very common especially so if the trauma is a low grade and ongoing. Obvious emotional states such as fear or grief, as well as bio chemical issues such as blood sugar regulation problems and adrenal depletion, can be likely causes of stress.

Effectively treating anxiety and stress means that the causative factors must be identified. Even though some of the factors that we have mentioned above will in most cases be present to some degree, every persons case will be different. This can be problematic when you attempt to treat yourself, but it is possible. One of the most useful techniques that can be used is to begin to take note of the particular circumstances that accompany your anxiety attacks or peak stress periods with a view to trying to identify factors that may be causing your stress and anxiety.

Once the cause of the stress and anxiety has been uncovered finding someone who you can talk to openly about your specific issue is often advised. Whether that person be a professional therapist, a support group or simply someone who you can talk things out with, finding someone to talk with and work out some solutions that are appropriate, and most importantly that you will follow through with, is often the best form of self help in these situations.

In addition to a therapeutic approach to dealing with your anxiety and stress, make sure that your everyday lifestyle supports the therapy you are undertaking. Get moving. Regular exercise has been proven to help reduce levels of stress and increase wellbeing apart from the obvious fitness benefits. Proper sleep and rest are essential as are a healthy well balanced eating plan. Making sure these things are in place will make a huge difference to how you feel now and quite likely prevent the anxiety and stress from getting to levels that are difficult to manage in the future.

If you find that your levels of stress and anxiety get to the point where they are causing major physical symptoms such as chest pain, breathing constriction or palpitations along with thoughts of suicide please seek medical help immediately.

Going to the shopping mall may seem easy to you and me, but for someone who suffers with a social phobia it can quickly become so overwhelming that the trip ruins their whole week. A person who suffers with social anxiety may find the shopping mall to be no problem but they may struggle to eat in a crowded restaurant, different people find different situations cause anxiety.

Different people fear different types of situations, just because they both have anxiety disorders it doesn’t mean that 2 people will both find the same situations cause them to suffer anxiety. People that have social anxiety disorders may have some of these symptoms while they are in certain social situations.

Imagine spending your work day terrified that you will make a mistake. We all make mistakes, it is natural and no one can be 100% perfect all the time. When most of us make a mistake we just deal with it and move on. If you suffer with social anxiety the fear of making a mistake could well overwhelm your mind and drive you into a situation of total panic.

In situations that cause fear, people who have social anxiety disorder will feel intense anxiety. The anxiety they feel may lead to trembling, pounding heart, blushing, nausea, and sweating. For many having this anxiety will turn into a panic attack.

These symptoms of anxiety can often lead to embarrassment for the person that has social anxiety. Some people that have social anxiety disorder are comfortable being only with close family and friends. Others people with social anxiety only fear certain social situations. Some people become anxious when they are dealing with people in higher positions such as their boss.

The anticipation of an event can be almost as bad as the actual event for people who have social anxiety disorders. Public speaking is one of the best known fears that people have, imagine having that level of fear every time you want to use a public toilet?

Many more women than men suffer with social anxiety disorder, possibly because they feel extra pressure to be perfect in social situations, but no one seems to really know. It is not uncommon for people to have social anxieties, there are certainly hundreds of thousands if not millions of people who suffer with it to various degrees in America alone.

Social anxiety disorder usually will start at a early age. You can be shy and still not experience the same intense anxiety that people do with social anxiety disorder. Shy people usually do not avoid certain social situations like people that have social anxiety disorders. Social anxiety disorder can overtake someone’s life if they allow it to.

Anxiety Attack Frequently Asked questions

Statistics suggest that an anxiety attack can be experienced by one out of every sixty individuals. Thats a lot of people. While many are worried that it will lead to some sort of anxiety disorder, most cases do not. A panic attack is characterized by feelings of intense fear and distress. Typically, the feeling also affects the body. People who experience an anxiety attack also experience hyperventilation, lightheadedness, numbness, and nausea.

Anxiety Attack The Things That People Ask

I feel like Im going to die. Will the experience harm me?
Some people become extremely distressed after experiencing anxiety attacks. Some feel that they cant breathe or they become so scared that they cant move. But the truth is that they seldom cause any physiological damage.

Is there something wrong with me?
Anxiety attacks rarely happen to people who have a healthy lifestyle and mental state. However, not everyone who has them can automatically be called mentally ill. Some experience it on account of abnormally difficult situations. Some have it because they have unhealthy attitudes in life. Some experience anxiety attacks as a result of drug abuse. Anyone who experiences recurrent anxiety attacks is a candidate for treatment though.

What happens after an attack?
The effects of attacks differ from one person to another. Some become completely exhausted and need to lie down. Some experience intense pain in their muscles. Some become extremely dizzy. While not particularly threatening by itself, panic attacks can lead to serious problems when they occur in public places.

What kind of treatment should I get?
Cognitive behavioral therapy is by far the most common. This technique uses stress management techniques at the onset of an attack to prevent its escalation into a full blown episode. This can include breathing exercises, mental distractions, and other activities to help remove a patients focus on the object or event causing distress.

Individuals can also get medication from their doctor; however, this is usually discouraged. Medication for anxiety problems are typically very addicting. Hence, there is a very strong preference for pure behavioral therapy. An anxiety attack is usually part of a bigger problem so treatment depends on the type of illness that induces it.