Diagnosis of “Social phobia” - is there a chance to cope on my own?

© www.evamalia.me

This sweat-sticky, nasty, trembling word is fear. Who among us can say that he has never been afraid of anything in his life? But, it’s one thing to be afraid, for example, to go ice skating for the first time, and another thing to experience genuine horror at the thought that someone is in love with you. Everyone without exception has social fears, but for some people they are so strong that they prevent them from living a normal, fulfilling life and achieving success. You need to know the enemy by sight, so we invite you to get acquainted with the most common types of social fears.

Fear of responsibility

You and your family are going on vacation and you need to choose a place. Looking through the advertising brochures of travel agencies, you just can’t decide which resort you and your family will like best. The torment of choice is so great that you turn to relatives for advice over and over again, or are ready to abandon the trip altogether.

Almost everyone has this fear to one degree or another.

The essence of the fear of responsibility is quite simple - you try with all your might not to make decisions, shifting this responsibility to others, because if you fail, it seems to you, those around you will judge you in every possible way. In addition, you imagine that, having suffered a fiasco, you will blame yourself for a long time for not being able to live up to expectations and “as always, you ruined everything.”

Getting rid of the fear of responsibility is not so easy, but it is possible. Don’t get hung up on the negative consequences of your choices, cultivate the habit of making decisions on your own, regardless of their possible outcome. In some cases, it is worth seeking the help of a psychotherapist.

Symptoms of social anxiety

The symptoms of social phobia are typical. The disorder reaches its peak at the age of 25-30; in adolescence, the deviation gives individual fragmentary signs. It is unstable, with sudden changes in the emotional background. A spontaneous increase in symptoms is possible, which is called “out of the blue,” and a decrease in severity almost to zero, and so on in a circle.

By adulthood, social phobia completes its development. And here there are three possible scenarios:

1. Pathological regression. When the anomaly disappears on its own without any manifestations, it fades into the background. But it may temporarily reappear from time to time, although to a much lesser degree of severity.
2. Progression of the disease. The most common option. Over the years, the condition deepens, the number of symptoms increases, and the number of situations that provoke anxiety increases.
3. Stagnation. Maintaining the level of anxiety that was present at the time of the onset of the disease. This option is the most rare among all three mentioned above.

As for specific symptoms. Social phobia is manifested by a group of vegetative and psycho-emotional problems:

1. Fear of certain situations. What - it was said: speeches, acquaintances, answers at the board, negotiations and just conversations with unfamiliar people, and others. Moreover, the more developed the diagnosis, the stronger the anxiety. Severe social phobia interferes with even minimal activity.
2. Pronounced vegetative manifestations. Shortness of breath, suffocation, increased sweating, problems with speech and thinking, tremor (finger shaking). Thoughts become chaotic and do not line up in an orderly flow. The tongue becomes slurred and the voice becomes unnatural. Anxiety and vegetative symptoms against the background of the pathological process are not controlled, arise spontaneously, accompany the entire attack and some time after it.
3. Increased criticality. The patient tends to get stuck in his own emotions. Constantly replays situations that happened in the past. Including very distant ones. He ponders at what moment he looked, in his opinion, funny, comical, absurd. Thinks through a strategy for subsequent behavior based on these false premises.
4. Incorrect understanding of social situations, forms of interaction. In fact, people extremely rarely pay attention to the little things, which the patient pays disproportionate attention to. Moreover, they do not tend to get stuck on situations and replay them in their heads. Even comical episodes in people with a normal psyche evoke a short-term, immediate reaction, and then without condemnation. And not even for everyone. A sociophobe believes that everyone with whom he communicates laughs at him behind his eyes, considers him pathetic, insignificant, etc., which in fact is fundamentally wrong.

Rethinking your own behavior, giving up the desire to please everyone and conform to the ideas of everyone without exception is one of the key steps for recovery.

In the absence of help, avoidance behavior gradually develops. The sufferer tries not to get into situations that cause him discomfort. In most cases this is not possible without consequences. The consequences are the lack of material means of subsistence, the inability to realize oneself in society, to demonstrate one’s abilities.

In especially difficult cases, there is a complete refusal of activity, voluntary isolation, and recluse. Unlike autistic patients, patients with Asperger's syndrome, or simply deep introverts, this situation does not bring joy, peace or satisfaction to those suffering from social phobia. On the contrary, if they want to build interaction, they are deprived of such an opportunity. In the best case, humility sets in.

However, social phobia is usually accompanied by severe depressive disorders. Suicidal tendencies are possible. Extremely low self-esteem becomes an obligatory companion. A vicious circle arises. Help can be most effective only in the early stages of the disease. As one grows older, the psyche becomes inert, inflexible and conservative. New attitudes are introduced with great difficulty, cause rejection and even greater avoidance after possible failures, which are almost inevitable at the beginning of therapy and are not critical.

Sufferers have an increased tendency to alcoholism, drug addiction, dependence on medications, and self-destructive behavior.

Boss Fear

An ordinary working day, you are going about your work duties, suddenly you are told that the head of the department is calling you and although there seems to be no reason for concern, you frantically begin to remember all your conceivable and inconceivable mistakes in work over the past few years, trying to understand why you may be reprimanded. Common situation? This is a typical manifestation of fear of the boss - fear of any person in authority (teacher, commander, etc.) who can influence your life.

To cope with this fear, you don’t have to turn to specialists - improve your work skills to raise your self-esteem and make any boss value you as a professional. When communicating with your manager, do not avoid looking him straight in the eye, speak confidently and express your thoughts clearly. In the end, no matter how tyrant and tyrant your boss may be, he is only a person.

© www.newsworks.org

Frequent objects of fear of social phobia

Before describing the territory of fears of social phobias, let us differentiate this concept from other similar conditions.

A similar-sounding pathology is sociopathy. A sociopath is a person who does not recognize public moral standards and is genetically devoid of conscience. Such a person is dangerous to others and can cause harm to them. Another name for the type is a psychopath, who is an aggressive, assertive person who has no inhibitions. A social phobe is a harmless person, unable to harm anyone but himself.

Another similar condition is that of a misanthrope, a gloomy and unsociable person who hates the human race in principle. The misanthrope does not fear people, he despises them and does not want to communicate. A social phobe does not treat people negatively or with hatred, he is only afraid of contact with them.

Social phobia is an obsessive fear of performing certain actions in the presence of other people. Its manifestations can concern absolutely any aspect of life.

The most common fear is speaking in front of a large audience. Many people get nervous if they have to speak in public. But this excitement quickly passes when the person pulls himself together and begins his speech. It is impossible to force a social phobe to come to the podium.

An earlier manifestation is the student’s fear of going to the board to answer in front of the whole class. The child, even having learned the lesson, cannot say a word; he blushes, stammers and gets confused, and sometimes cries. If you ask a student to write down the answer to a task, he will do it without difficulty.

A variation of social phobia is the fear of appearing in public places: cinemas, cafes, toilets. A person, in principle, cannot perceive that someone is watching him, looking at him and evaluating him. Some social phobes will never eat in the presence of other people, panic if they sweat a lot in public or hear their stomach growling.

Another manifestation of social phobia is the fear of communicating with officials or employees of government agencies. It is incredibly difficult for a person to ask for a coupon at the clinic’s reception desk, or to contact the seller for advice on the characteristics of the product.

Whatever the variants of pathology, they are always associated with a phobia of communication with other people and assessment of one’s personality by others.

Fear of failure

One of the most common human fears is the fear of failure. The fear of failure is close to the fear of responsibility, only the main source of worry and anxiety in it is not the possible negative reaction of society to failure, but the very possibility that the efforts made to something will not lead to anything. Most often, fear is formed due to the habit of drawing general conclusions from one specific fact. For example, a student, having failed one exam during a session, does not even try to pass all the others: “I already know that I can’t do anything, why waste energy and time.”

Overcoming the fear of failure is one of the main tasks of a person who wants to become successful. It is necessary to change your motto from “He who does not play does not lose” to “He who crawls does not fall, he who runs falls.”

Diagnosis

Social phobia leads to an aggressive mood towards other people. Diagnosing social phobia begins with testing. Social phobia should not be confused with sociopathy, a personality disorder that manifests itself as a complete disregard for social norms of behavior, impulsivity and open aggression.

Social phobia can be confused with introversion. People are born introverts.

They are not afraid to be in society, but they draw inspiration and energy only when they are alone or with close friends; they cannot relax in a large crowd. Such people are good bosses and speakers. Social phobes are afraid of going into crowded places and avoid any situations in which they need to express themselves. Life experience makes them think that people only bring harm, are envious and aggressive towards them.

Social phobes are usually complex and distrustful. To date, many methods have been developed that determine the presence of a nervous disorder. The main purpose of the social phobia test is to determine the level of anxiety that occurs in a stressful situation. This level is measured on a 4-point scale.

In total, a person is asked to answer questions about his feelings in the process of 24 situations that are expected or occurred during the week. Based on the test results, 2 indicators are obtained:

• The degree of avoidance of stalemate situations.
• Anxiety level.

Symptoms of social phobia

Fear of success

Despite the exact opposite name, the main reason for this fear, like the previous one, is lack of confidence in one’s own abilities. The fear of success lies in the fact that people, often quite accomplished, are afraid, for example, of further career advancement, because they believe that they will not be able to cope with new work responsibilities and meet the expectations of management. Those who are afraid of success are constantly expecting the revelation of their own “failure” in one area or another - it seems to them that everything they have achieved has been a lucky chance. Because of this, a person considers himself a failure and tries with all his might to hide this “terrible secret” from others, trying not to expose his personal and professional qualities to the test of success.

As with the fear of failure, to overcome the fear of success, be confident in yourself and remember that even if you fail at something, you can always learn from your mistakes so you don't repeat them next time.

Treatment of phobia

Treatment for social phobia should begin as early as possible. How you can get rid of social phobia depends on the severity of the pathology. During adolescence, a person can cope with the disease on their own, but the problem is that it is rarely diagnosed so early.

It is difficult for adults to cope with the disorder on their own, since they often do not realize that the problem really exists, so this cannot be done without the help of a qualified psychotherapist.

In especially severe cases, the patient may be indicated for psychiatric treatment with the use of potent drugs, hospital treatment and a course of psychotherapy.

Drug therapy

How you can overcome social phobia depends on the severity of the disorder. However, in most cases it is not possible to do without medication. Often, medications are prescribed not to treat the phobia itself, but to relieve stress on the nervous system. This allows her to recover faster, which in itself is already a favorable condition for recovery.

You should talk to your doctor about how to get rid of social phobia with medications. The choice of drugs depends on the associated disorders. For neuroses, sedatives and B vitamins are prescribed to restore the functioning of the nervous system; for severe anxiety disorder and frequent panic attacks, tranquilizers are prescribed, and antidepressants are needed to relieve depressive symptoms. All potent drugs are sold strictly by prescription and must be prescribed by a doctor.

Psychotherapy

Your doctor will tell you how best to deal with social phobia in each specific case. The fact is that to successfully defeat any phobia, it is necessary to identify its causes and correct the patient’s reaction to the object of fear. This can only be done in one way - psychotherapy.

Cognitive behavioral psychotherapy helps both treat severe social phobia and work through the causes of its development. This method is recognized as the gold standard for the treatment of various phobic disorders and is the most effective. The chance of getting rid of social phobia in the shortest possible time increases when choosing several areas of psychotherapy at once, so the patient can be recommended to supplement the treatment regimen with group trainings.

The more precise direction of treatment is determined by the doctor.

Autotraining

You need to stand in front of the mirror and repeat the “right words”, mentally concentrating on your own peace of mind

Having figured out how you can cure social phobia with the help of drugs and psychotherapy, you should pay attention to such a simple method as auto-training. This method is suitable for patients with a mild form of the disorder. It involves “persuading” yourself to take a step towards fear. For example, if a person wants to walk along a crowded street, but is afraid that everyone will look at him, he just needs to concentrate on his thoughts and constantly, like a prayer, repeat to himself some attitude, for example, “everyone admires me.” “I’m not funny, but attractive,” “I’m not afraid of anything,” etc.

Affirmations also often help social phobes. It is recommended to read them before going to bed and immediately after waking up, as if programming yourself for success during the day.

Self-help for panic attacks

You can overcome social phobia on your own, but you need to know how to overcome a panic attack. A panic attack can take a person by surprise in any situation, which often leads to loss of self-control and even fainting.

When you feel the onset of an attack, it is recommended to put a sedative under your tongue, for example Glycine, or at least a mint candy. The tablet here is more important not for its therapeutic effect, but rather is used as a distraction, because a person immediately focuses on taste sensations, distracting himself from internal experiences. Then it is recommended to do breathing exercises - social phobia will not go away, but panic will noticeably recede.

At the same time, you should try to focus attention on some minor detail in the environment. For example, if the attack began on the street, a person should stop or sit down, put a pill or lollipop under the tongue, breathe deeply and at the same time look out for all the red cars, count the windows in the house nearby or even cracks in the asphalt. Such a change in the point of attention is a good way to distract yourself and stop an attack. If you have water at hand, it is recommended to drink a few sips and cool the pulse points on the wrists and neck - this will normalize the heartbeat and lower blood pressure.

Fear of exams

As the name suggests, a classic example of test anxiety is the behavior of students during the exam. The same fear is experienced, for example, by surgeons during a new operation, applicants for any position during a meeting with an employer - almost everyone who is faced with testing their abilities or knowledge. Insomnia, anxiety, loss of appetite, increased heart rate, trembling - all these are typical manifestations of the fear of being tested. Fear intensifies with a long wait for the exam, the possibility of choice (“Will I get the ticket that I studied or not?”) and limited time for preparation.

Automotive training and various exercises to relieve stress help to overcome the fear of exams. Just before the exam begins, try to breathe deeply, repeating to yourself some encouraging phrase: “I am confident in myself and that means I will pass the exam successfully,” “I will get a good grade, because I learned everything,” or something similar.

© my-sokol.livejournal.com

Features of anxiety in social phobia

It is important to understand that a periodically occurring state of anxiety is considered a normal reaction of an individual to stressful situations and is even useful, as it helps to cope with them more easily. Social phobia is a disorder in which the feeling of anxiety is so strong that the person feels as if he is in an uncontrollable, unavoidable situation. Fear in this case also arises periodically, but a characteristic tendency can be noted when it is associated with specific social circumstances. Logically, the behavior and state of a person with social phobia is difficult to explain; he himself does not understand the reasons for his anxiety, however, he subconsciously tries to avoid unpleasant situations.

Fear of close social contacts

You have probably encountered people who try in every possible way to avoid close, sincere communication with others. This behavior is caused by a fear of close social contacts—a reluctance to get close to a person for fear that they might cause emotional pain later. As a rule, fear of close contacts occurs among individuals who strive to be independent and self-sufficient in everything, while it is very difficult for them to be open and honest even with themselves. Often, the fear of getting close to a person arises after a negative experience of communicating with one of the relatives or the opposite sex.

If you recognize your own behavior pattern described above, it may be worth seeking help from a specialist - once you get rid of your fear of intimacy, your life will be completely transformed.

Main symptoms of social phobia

The fear of being in the spotlight of society, of appearing in an unattractive light, is called by many “the disease of lost opportunities.” A person lives not the way he wants, but the way his phobia requires it. Fateful decisions are made under the influence of fears and therefore do not bring success in life.

The main symptom of social phobia is the avoidance of situations that provoke anxiety and discomfort. Numerous symptoms of the disease can be divided into separate blocks.

External behavioral reactions

:

• A person tends to hide, duck, and hide from a place if he finds himself in a public place.
• A social phobe avoids direct contact in every possible way and avoids conversation.
• When communicating, a person hides his eyes, tries to turn the topic off and leave quickly.
• Being in a crowded place is accompanied by awkward movements.
• Sometimes in a traumatic situation, stupor sets in - the social phobic cannot move, say or do anything.

Cognitive (mental) signs of social phobia

:

• Inability to control the course of one's own thoughts.
• Lack of sufficient concentration, absent-mindedness.
• Feeling of emptiness in the head, state of prostration.
• Obsession with ideas, constant repetition of the same thought in the head.
• The presence of inflated demands on oneself and one’s behavior.

Emotional signs of social phobia

:

• Endless mood swings, from excited and joyful to apathetic and depressed.
• Unreasonable tearfulness.
• Irritability and anxiety.

Physiology for social phobia

:

• Trembling (tremor) of the limbs, weakness in the legs, “wobbly” knees;
• Tachycardia (frequent and full heartbeat), they say “the heart is ready to jump out of the chest”;
• Prolonged sweating during the onset of a traumatic factor;
• Dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath.

Under the influence of social phobia, a person is always very demanding of himself, self-criticism manifests itself unreasonably often. Such a person always tries to make a positive impression on others, to seem “good,” cultured and well-mannered. But inside he always knows in advance that he will be judged or thought badly of him.

A social phobe is pathologically afraid of criticism and condemnation. Therefore, he is afraid to say too much, to voice his opinion, so as not to be ridiculed. But in fact, a phobia forces a person to behave awkwardly and awkwardly, which further aggravates the situation and convinces the person of his worthlessness.

A person suffering from social anxiety may, out of the blue, get up and leave the audience or run away from a meeting. If, having overpowered himself, he still remains, then the presence of fear is revealed by his appearance: crossed arms and legs, a reddened face, eyes lowered to the floor.

High anxiety in social phobia is often relieved with specific medications and alcohol, which can only intensify its course. In the most severe cases, the disease results in complete self-isolation of the person.

Fear of loneliness

Fear of social isolation and loneliness is in many ways the opposite of the previous type of fear and can take a variety of forms - those suffering from it often experience, say, a reluctance to criticize others, fear of conflicts, fear of expressing their feelings, and so on.

People with a weakened sense of independence, who want more than anything else in the world to love and be loved, are susceptible to the fear of loneliness. Prone to dedication and self-denial, such individuals fall in love more often and have a harder time experiencing breakups. And because of the fear of loneliness, many spoil the lives of themselves and those around them - for example, they marry an unloved person and, being emotionally unsatisfied, quarrel with him over trifles for many years, but stubbornly do not want to get a divorce. Parents of adult children who are afraid of loneliness prevent them from arranging their personal lives (sometimes without realizing it), fearing that after marriage the child will leave them.

What to do if someone close to you suffers from similar fears? First of all, try to make the person understand that with fears he is only programming himself for trouble, and convince him to admit to himself what the problem is. Awareness of the problem is the first step to solving it. Don't be afraid to fight your fears!

Causes of social phobia

According to the American National Institute of Mental Disorders, the average age of onset of social anxiety symptoms is 10-13 years . After 25 years, social phobia occurs on its own extremely rarely; most often it is preceded by depression. In men, social anxiety is half as common. Married people with a high level of education are most susceptible to social phobia.

The reasons for the development of this anxiety-phobic disorder are heredity (genetic profile), individual characteristics of the nervous system (temperament), the presence of congenital pathologies and social factors.

Among the significant causes of anxiety in social phobia are:

• Incorrect, overly strict upbringing in childhood;
• Incorrect behavior of parents, lack of adequate assessment of events on their part;
• Presentation of excessive, difficult to fulfill, demands on the child;
• During the period of growing up - criticism during the formation of personality;
• Lack of sufficient social approval, frequent conflicts;
• Suppression of expressions of sexuality and identification with one’s gender;
• Wrong lifestyle and social environment that does not satisfy moral needs;
• Perception of financial problems as significant problems of existence;
• Unsuccessful experience of communication in the past with the opposite sex;
• Somatic diseases.