What is social anxiety disorder? A bit of a mystery, affecting children and adults alike
Unlike the sort of anxiety we may experience from worrying over finances, or stress induced by deadlines, social anxiety disorder is more closely related to phobias, specifically tied to social situations. It's a bit of a medical mystery, in that science has been unable, to date, to determine just what causes this phobia in certain social situations. It's known that there are genetic factors, in that it appears to run in families and may also manifest with depressive or alcoholic conditions. Social anxiety disorder tends to begin in early adolescence, although many cases develop during childhood.
People who suffer from social anxiety have an exaggerated and irrational fear of making mistakes in public situations, such as giving a speech, a conversational faux pas at a party or on a date, or even eating in front of other people. Most people, with the exception of children, realize that their fears are exaggerated. Nonetheless, the fear of public humiliation persists and can cause debilitating anxiety symptoms.
While this description of social anxiety disorder might lead you to believe that shy or timid individuals make up the majority of sufferers of this condition, this is not the case. Persons with a shy or timid personality may dislike public situations, but do not experience the intensity of anxiety suffered by the person with social anxiety disorder. Oddly, people with this disorder may be almost gregarious in certain familiar social situations. Being in the spotlight can turn a normally outgoing individual into a fearful, anxiety ridden person, who might anticipate giving a public speech or giving a presentation for weeks in advance of the event. They may well become ill, in order to avoid the upcoming event. If they do follow through and participate, they might well become ill and suffer severe symptoms of anxiety that persist, believing that they failed to perform adequately and have engendered negative judgments by others.
Usually, a person with social anxiety disorder suffers from an intense fear of 'performing' inadequately in social situations where unfamiliar people are present. Their greatest fear is that they will be embarrassed publicly, or reveal their anxiety to others.
Children with this disorder always suffer their fears with their peer group, as well as with adults. Children may find expression through tantrums, crying, or a distinct aversion to gatherings of people with whom they are not familiar. Parents might easily attribute these expressions to shyness and be unaware of the extreme anxiety and distress the child is enduring.
Parents should be alert to manifestations of social anxiety. Children with this disorder typically display these symptoms for at least 6 months. If you observe these types of behavior for this period, you'll want to look into this further, at the direction of your physician. If you have suffered these symptoms, do the same.
The most promising treatment for social anxiety to date is in homeopathy, administered by a qualified therapist, skilled in homeopathic remedies. Although this anxiety disorder awaits a proven cure, homeopathic remedies have been demonstrated to effect gradual, but permanent changes for the better.
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