Social Phobia Treatment
What is Social Phobia?
Social phobia, also known as social anxiety, is a condition in which you experience high levels of anxiety about being criticised or judged in a negative way by others. It involves experiencing marked or persistent fear in one or more social situations. Surveys have suggested that as many as 10% of people may suffer from the condition, although it was not commonly recognised as a form of anxiety disorder until the 1980s.
Symptoms of Social Phobia
If you suffer from social phobia then you may experience some or all of the following:
- Extreme worry in public places such as at meetings, work or when shopping that other people will be watching you and finding fault with you
- High levels of anxiety about public speaking
- Anxiety about meeting people in groups
- Extreme feelings of inferiority or inadequacy and a sense that other people are more intelligent than you or that you have nothing to say to them that will be of value
- High levels of sensitivity to criticism from others
- Physical symptoms such as sweating, blushing, stammering or shaking when thinking about having to take part in a situation about which you are nervous
- Perfectionist tendencies, believing that unless you to do something perfectly you have failed.
Causes of Social Phobia
It may be that social phobia is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. One view is that some people are genetically predisposed to develop social phobia but that the onset of the disorder is triggered by a specific event. For example, people who suffer from social anxiety can quite often identify a particular experience at school when they felt exposed or humiliated in a public situation, in front of other pupils and/or teachers, and this may have triggered the start of their social phobia.
Treatment Options for Social Phobia
There are a number of steps which you can take if you suffer from social phobia to help you gradually gain control of your situation so that the negative feelings and experiences you have will diminish:
Medication for Social Phobia
Your doctor should be able to advise you on whether or not medication may be helpful in your situation if you suffer from social phobia - antidepressants, benzodiazepines or betablockers are sometimes prescribed. Each may have side effects and should not be taken without appropriate medical advice and doctor's prescription.
Relaxation Techniques
If you experience general underlying anxiety, one thing that can be useful is to learn some relaxation techniques - for example, help to bring your body and mind more regularly into a state of relaxation and calm by practising simple relaxation exercises, ideally on a regular basis to establish a steady relaxing routine at least in part of your life. For instance, you might begin each morning by spending 10 minutes in a comfortable environment doing a breathing exercise.
You can find information about some relaxation exercises in the article below:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Social Phobia (CBT)
Cognitive behavioural therapy or coaching can be helpful in teaching you techniques which you can practise to deal with the negative and anxious thoughts which are leading you to become worried and stressed. For instance, if you suffer from social phobia you may have a tendency to mind read – that is to say, you imagine what other people will think (imagining that they will think something negative about you) without stopping to check whether your imagination is accurate. If this is something you find yourself doing, then try writing down the 'mind reading thoughts' you may have before you go into a potentially problematic situation such as a social gathering or somewhere where you have to give a presentation and then write down some alternative thoughts that you can try saying to yourself to counter the mind reading thoughts.
For example, if you are going into a social situation where you are meeting people you do not know, you may have the thought: 'They will see that I am stupid and will laugh at me'. Write this down and then next to it write something that you can say to challenge or question this thought in a realistic way. For instance, you might write down the following challenge: 'Some people there will be more concerned with their own problems to notice, even if I do say something stupid, and others may be sympathetic.'
When you go into the situation remind yourself of that challenge to help you get through the situation.
Many people with social phobia recognise that their anxieties, whilst heartfelt, may not be rationally justified in terms of the likelihood of the outcome that they fear. CBT or cognitive behavioural therapy helps you to identify the irrational elements in your fears and gives you techniques for beginning to manage irrational feelings and fears and preventing them from dominating your behaviour and lifestyle. In my coaching practice I provide one-to-one support for social phobia through telephone coaching sessions using cognitive behavioural therapy techniques which I have found to be particularly helpful. Research suggests that CBT is one of the most helpful methods of intervention for overcoming social phobia and other anxiety disorders
With cognitive behavioural techniques you are retraining your mind to think in a different and more constructive way. Try to take things patiently, setting goals step by step, and if you need to, seek support from a coach specialising in this particular area.
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