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Social anxiety is a psychological
condition, which causes overwhelming fear of situations or events that
require social interaction or performance in front of other people. The
anxiety often activates physical symptoms such as blushing, rapid heart
beat, sweating, difficulty concentrating, dizziness, and many others and
that can interfere with daily activities and socializing.
If this
condition worsens or keeps recurring for more than six months more days than not without any reasonable explanations, this can become an
immobilizing disorder.
A person with social anxiety disorder may
fear social events and may result to being home-bound. But, there is cure to
this illness. Social anxiety disorder treatment includes professional
counseling and anxiety medications.
Social anxiety disorder treatments such as
psychological counseling and medications, such as antidepressants which help
reduce associated anxiety and depression, are both effective to those with
this condition. The initial social anxiety disorder treatment is based on
the severity of your emotional and physical symptoms and your ability to
function in daily life activities.
People with social anxiety condition
may also have depression. In, addition, they may have problems with
alcohol and substance abuse, therefore, your health professional may ask
certain questions to know whether how severe your drinking or drug abuse can
be. Usually, social anxiety disorder goes undetected for years before
treatment is sought and by that time, you may have developed behaviors that
give room for the fears.
Types of counseling of social anxiety
disorder treatment may include:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy- helps
sufferers identify their anxieties and the situations that provoke the
anxiety. This may feel a little uneasy on your part, but this is an
important part for a successful recovery. Social anxiety disorder treatment
may include several types of cognitive-behavioral therapy, like:
·
Exposure therapy-
you will be guided by a professional counselor to imagine you are facing
your feared situation until such time, you will no longer fear it, such as
going to public places.
·
Cognitive
restructuring- helps you learn to identify and improve thinking patterns in
order for you to cope up with social events.
·
Symptom management
skills- this teaches you how to minimize stress by using proper breathing
techniques and other physical responses to anxiety.
Supportive therapy- this type of therapy
may include education about the illness, family therapy- to support loved
ones with this condition, and group therapy or support groups- to seek
support from others who have the same condition.
Medications for social anxiety disorder
may include:
-
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
(SSRIs) are often the first type of medication in social anxiety
disorder treatment
-
Benzodiazepines are for relieving
anxiety and not for those with drug problems
-
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs)
for relieving depression and anxiety.
Ongoing social anxiety treatment usually
includes continuous psychological counseling and regular checkups to monitor
if medications must be added to your treatment. Regular and continuous
treatments are the best approach to treat your anxiety.
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