Social Phobia or Social Anxiety Disorder

A social anxiety disorder, or social phobia, can inhibit a person's life tremendously by causing extreme fear and anxiety in normal social settings. These irrational fears can start days or weeks in advance as the person who suffers gets closer and closer to the social event. Social anxiety disorder is a real concern. For those who suffer, help is detrimental to achieving the ability to live a normal life.
Social anxiety disorder effects about 5.3 million adult Americans. Both men and women equally suffer. The disorder usually begins in childhood. There are cases where one who suffers at a young age does overcome some of the fear by adulthood, but not usually all of the fear. The disease can get worse depending upon the person and their lifestyle. For those who hide out in their home, recovery is slow. For those who set out to pursue social situations in spite of the fear, recovery comes quicker. In any case, social phobia is life hindering and must be treated.
Many people who suffer from a social disorder also suffer from other anxiety disorders, including depression. Those who suffer can also suffer from drug and alcohol abuse. Self medicating helps the phobic deal with social situations better, unfortunately, drugs and alcohol is not the answer. Putting a bandaide on the splinter will only aggravate the situation.
People with social anxiety are overly self conscious. They fear being watched and judged by others. Most social phobics are afraid of embarrassing themselves in front of others so they resist doing or saying anything in public. Unfortunately a social phobic suffers from to much self focus but this is just an underlying symptom of a much deeper problem.
A social anxiety disorder causes persistent, intense, and chronic fear in social situations. And even though the social phobic realizes their fears are irrational, they can't do anything to escape the anxiety.
Some social phobias are centered around only one event such as speaking in front of a class or walking in late to a meeting. Some people cannot force themselves to get up to use a bathroom or get a drink for fear people will be watching them. Most of the fear starts in the mind as one obsesses on the thought of what might happen. Of course most of the things feared never take place.
People who suffer from social phobias can also suffer physical symptoms. These can include; blushing, profuse sweating, trembling, nausea, and difficulty talking. For those who suffer, friendships are near impossible, going to school or work is difficult, sometimes impossible. Fear of being around other people causes the social phobic isolation and loneliness.
It's hard for an extrovert to understand a social phobic, but it is important to accept and try to understand that people are different. We are not all the same. For that reason we must learn to care for and help anyone who suffers no matter how ridiculous or irrational the fear might seem.