Social phobia is also known as social anxiety. Social anxiety disorder, or social phobia, is the intense anxiety and fear of being criticized by other people in one's life and being in the public eye under any circumstances. The person feels extreme tension before any activity in daily life, such as making a presentation, going to a job interview, attending an interview. This social phobia is an example of social anxiety disorder. Social anxiety disorder is also a mental condition. Social phobia can be controlled and treated with psychotherapies and medication. Virtual reality application is also used in the treatment of social anxiety disorder to help people overcome their phobias more quickly.
Social phobia is known as a disorder within anxiety disorders in psychiatry. It is also called social anxiety.
Since phobias are fears experienced in certain situations, social phobia can be defined as anxiety experienced in social environments. When we look at the general symptoms of social phobia; When the person enters a new environment, he/she experiences anxiety, distress, anxiety. Palpitations, anxiety and difficulty in expressing oneself also accompany this picture.
Social phobia, social phobic people feel excitement and distress when they have to meet a new person in the environment in which they live. If this person is a student, he/she has difficulty speaking in class due to social phobia and avoids speaking. If he/she has to speak, his/her face may flush, his/her voice may become hoarse, his/her hands may tremble, there may be a blockage of thought or even a stoppage of speech.
A secondary negative effect of social phobia is a tendency to withdraw from society. In the early stages of social phobia, the child cannot tell anyone about this problem because of shame. In our society, the severity of social phobia may be overlooked because shy children even receive praise. When the disease is not recognized and not intervened in time, the child will have more difficulties in the future. The problem increases during the university years. Because without treatment, the problem gets deeper and deeper.
Symptoms of Social Phobia
Symptoms of social phobia are a disorder within anxiety disorders. It manifests itself when faced with a feared situation.
Physical Symptoms of Social Phobia;
Symptoms of social phobia,
- Facial flushing
- Sweating
- Dry mouth
- Palpitations, shortness of breath, shortness of breath
- Discomfort in the gastrointestinal system
- Diarrhea
- Muscle tension
- Tremor
Psychological Symptoms of Social Phobia;
Symptoms of social phobia,
- Feelings of powerlessness and inadequacy,
- Perception of physical ugliness and dislike
- Feeling that you don't deserve the love you are given
- Fear of making mistakes and the desire to be perfect
- Constant anxiety but trying not to show it
- The state of being and behaving perfectly
- The desire to win the constant admiration of society
- Not being able to enter an environment that they are afraid of or afraid of
- Constant desire to escape and leave the environment
- Inability to make eye contact with people and avoiding it
Does Social Phobia Start in Childhood?
Social phobia is a disorder whose symptoms begin in childhood and the first symptoms are seen in preschool ages. For example, when you put 100 children in an unfamiliar new area, 70 percent of them adapt easily, 15 percent take over the environment, and a group of 15 percent remain timid, cry, do not want to leave their mother, and have difficulty adapting to the new environment. It can be said that this is an important symptom for children who have problems starting school. Symptoms of social phobia, when the child is very shy, timid, wants to return home immediately in new environments, clinging to the parents is a definite alarm situation. This indicates that the child will have social phobia.
Because the fact that the parents are excessively perfectionist, protective and protective, that they are not allowed to meet any of their needs on their own, a very sheltered, restrictive environment causes the child to become a social phobic individual in the future. For this reason, children with social phobia symptoms should be exposed to different environments from an early age. They need to spend a lot of time outside the home, even in open spaces. Today, urbanization, living in an apartment, having fewer feet on the ground, parents working, children staying at home with a caregiver can be counted among the reasons that prepare social phobia.
Symptoms of Social Phobia in Children
Symptoms of social phobia,
- Depression due to loneliness
- Low self-confidence
- Recognize lack of social skills
- Perceives oneself as inadequate
- He knows he lacks something because he cannot relate
- Cannot sustain a relationship with someone they have just met
- Cannot start a conversation
- She remains in the listening position, which lowers her self-confidence.
- Depression develops secondarily.
How to recognize social phobia?
A child with social phobia symptoms is shy, cannot reveal himself/herself in class, does not ask and speak unless he/she is asked a question, responds in short sentences by being embarrassed and embarrassed when asked, does not make eye contact, and cannot fully reveal his/her knowledge. For this reason, students with a big difference between written and oral exam success should be evaluated in this sense. Trembling in the face and sweating in the hands are the most important symptoms. The teacher can recognize this and inform the family. Children who have low academic achievement, who cannot show their capacity, who have difficulties in friendships, who experience embarrassment in relations with the opposite sex, who are alone in the group and cannot establish and maintain a friendship, but who can establish relationships with others by being with their friends can be recognized immediately.
It is also possible for a socially phobic child with symptoms of social phobia to be completely alone, which can help the teacher to understand.
If social phobia is not treated in childhood;
Young people recognize the symptoms of social phobia at university. If the family did not recognize the symptoms of social phobia, they will see it in their children over time. Teachers rarely recognize social phobia and warn the family. Teachers are just beginning to gain this perspective.
How to overcome social phobia?
Social phobia is a disorder that needs to be treated by a specialist. In order for the treatment to be done well, situations that will negatively affect the treatment should be eliminated. If the person has a different underlying psychiatric disorder and the root of social phobia is fears and anxieties from childhood, these should also be evaluated in the treatment.
The treatment of social phobia is supported by psychotherapies and medication if deemed necessary. Virtual Reality therapy is a treatment that has good results in social phobia.
Exercises to Overcome Social Phobia
In order to overcome social phobia, there are some exercises that will instantly relax the person. The person will feel more comfortable when they do these.
- Deep breathing exercises during stress will relax the person.
- Avoiding the possibilities that you think may happen in the face of an event and trying to go with the flow will distract the person from instant anxiety.
- When you feel very uncomfortable in the environment and fear that you will be criticized, remember that this is a normal situation and that you can criticize them too.
- You can meditate to remove negative thoughts from your mind.
- You can do regular sports and exercise.
- In order to overcome your social phobia, you can get virtual reality therapy instantly and get rid of your fears by facing them.
Social Phobia Treatment
Drug treatment in social phobia proceeds together with psychotherapy depending on the severity of the condition. A one-year course of medication is usually recommended. At the end of one year, there is a significant regression in symptoms. With psychotherapy, well-being improves. Individuals who are raised with low self-confidence in societies that do not express themselves much experience this. The onset of the problem is often seen in childhood. It is even seen in preschool age. Children who are timid, afraid of approaching others and isolated are children who need to be on alert.
For information about virtual reality goggles used in the treatment of Social Phobia: / augmented-virtual-reality
Medication in the Treatment of Social Phobia
It can be said that medication used between one year and 6 months is a very effective treatment. These drugs are in the antidepressant group. They eliminate phobic symptoms. They eliminate symptoms in 70-80 percent of cases. Let's say the social phobic is going to give a speech. It is recommended to take the medication one hour before this performance. When there are no physical symptoms, the person can control his/her mind more easily. But it is important to eliminate the underlying thought with therapy.
People who do not want to make mistakes, perfectionists may actually have irrational thoughts and these are corrected in therapy. Negative thoughts on the ground, such as I will be criticized, I will be excluded, need to be replaced with healthier ones, and these are achieved through therapies. The therapies should be accompanied by a psychologist.
With the Neuro-Biofeedback technique, which is used in combination with the Neuro-Biofeedback method, individual psychotherapy and relaxation exercises, which are done briefly during the treatment process; the possibility of personalized optional adjustment can be utilized. The person is given the ability to control his/her thoughts by raising awareness about his/her disorder, increasing his/her motivation, giving feedback about what kind of tensions in his/her body, differences in temperature and heart rhythm, what kind of error in his/her breathing and what kind of bioelectrical appearance he/she gains in his/her brain.
Social and Biological Causes of Social Phobia
In social phobia, there are some irregularities in brain chemistry. As in other anxiety disorders, this is also observed in social phobia. Just as if there is a perception of threat, there is something close to a panic attack such as overstimulation in the autonomic nervous system, acceleration in the heartbeat, movement in the gastrointestinal system. In some cases, fainting is observed. In the case of social phobia, like other psychological problems, there is an imbalance of chemicals. Genetic predisposition can also be mentioned in social phobia. When it is questioned whether it runs in the family, it is often seen that close relatives have a similar problem.
If the parents are too protective-caring and critical, the risk of the child becoming social phobic increases. A child whose every move is controlled may become anxious and even well-intentioned actions may affect the child negatively. The risk increases in a child who is controlled in every detail of daily life and exposed to psychological and physical violence. They may develop feelings of guilt, see themselves as worthless and experience insecurity. This leads to failure in expressing themselves in school life in the future.
Social Phobia and Personality Disorder
Anti-social personality is a different type of disorder from social phobia. People with this trait are prone to crime and are not bothered by what they do, blaming it on other people and institutions. Of course, in some cases, several psychiatric problems may coexist. We cannot say that social phobics are prone to crime, but it can be observed in people who have experienced extreme violence in their childhood.
In which societies is social phobia more common?
It is known to be slightly more common in eastern societies. The percentages should be looked at, but it is known to be more in eastern societies with the contribution of conservative structures and environmental factors. In the clinic, the rates of women and men are seen equal, so it is observed as such. However, it can also be said that since women are not supported to be in the social environment in societies like ours, it can be said that those who apply for treatment are mostly men.
Psychological Disorders Caused by Social Phobia
People with social phobia are prone to depression. The person is overwhelmed by the limitations in their life. Not being able to get a boyfriend or girlfriend, not being able to get married, not being able to advance in their job, not being able to use the opportunities of the environment causes depression. Another common picture may be a resort to alcohol to overcome this, followed by alcohol addiction or substance abuse. Recurrent panic attacks are also seen in social phobia.
Anxiety disorder in social phobia includes many diagnoses. Some of these are Separation Anxiety Disorder, Specific Phobia, Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia), Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Acute Tension (Stress) Disorder. Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders; Reactive Attachment Disorder, Illness Anxiety Disorder.
Generalized anxiety disorder is a state of negative expectation that extends throughout the day. Most of the time, there is no cause for this condition, but the person experiences a condition characterized by physical complaints such as pressure in the chest, a feeling of overwhelm, inability to breathe, tension in the muscles, dry mouth, numbness in the hands, arms and face. This condition is more common in women.
Social Phobia and Career
Normally, social phobics avoid going to social situations. He avoids even entering the environments he goes to every day. However, if the position is suitable, the situation can be managed up to a certain point, but as the position increases, the situation gets worse. For example, we see people who have risen in their career, who have been promoted, who need to go abroad, who are expected to make presentations at meetings. Of course, they find it very difficult at this point. However, those who have reached this position now start to investigate their own situation and learn that this is a disease. Thus, treatment is planned and treatment is started to be applied.
Success in People with Social Phobia
If there are no other problems with social phobia in terms of confidence, if there are no specific learning difficulties, very few people can be negatively affected in terms of achievement. Social phobia generally does not cause major deviations. However, the quality of life decreases, difficulties in getting a job or in the relationships in the job they enter create difficulties in maintaining their career, or if they are running their own business, if they cannot assert themselves, these can create serious problems.
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