What does the word "social phobia" mean? Social phobia: getting rid of the fear of social actions People suffering from social phobia

Social phobia is a common disease, the consequence of which is decreased ability to work. Starting early adolescence and left untreated, the disorder may persist and progress throughout later life patient. Social phobia is widespread among the population. However, only about 5 out of 100 patients suffering from such pathologies seek help and receive quality therapy.

Early diagnosis helps eliminate symptoms and avoid the development of additional (comorbid) disorders.

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  Social phobia

  In ICD-10, social phobia is classified under “Neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders.” These are phobic pathologies (agoraphobia, social and specific phobias), in which anxiety is caused by specific objects and situations.

  Social phobia – mental illness, characterized by a feeling of anxiety that paralyzes a person’s will and thoughts when communicating with other people. The main characteristic of pathology is a prolonged feeling of fear of social situations or conditions in which success is assessed. Encountering them almost always causes such a reaction, so they are most often avoided or endured with great tension.

  Social anxiety is a state of emotional discomfort, fear, apprehension and anxiety when meeting society and being judged by other people. A person with such a disorder, in a situation of interaction with society, thinks that he looks funny or stupid; others may judge him or humiliate him. A social phobe is a person who experiences panic fear when in public places, when communicating with other people.

  General information

  Social phobia (social anxiety disorder) accompanied obsessive fear being the center of attention in relatively small groups of people (unlike agoraphobia) and avoiding such situations.

  This phobia may be a result of imagined or actual surveillance by society. A person with social phobia realizes that his fears are excessive or unreasonable, but this does not make overcoming them any easier. Some patients are afraid of a wide range of social situations, while others are afraid only of specific conditions, for example, in which they need to demonstrate their abilities. Symptoms of the disease vary from mild to extremely severe, when a person, because of his fears, locks himself in a room and does not leave the house for several days.

  TO psychological signs social phobia as the disease progresses, physiological and vegetative ones are added: hyperemia (overflow of blood vessels) skin, sweating, tremor (trembling) of the limbs or the whole body, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, nausea. IN in rare cases Stunning, stupor, and confused speech are observed. In conditions accompanied by severe stress, panic attacks may develop.

  Social phobias are common among men and women with equal frequency. Anxiety disorders begin to appear in early childhood and adolescence. 50% of patients suffering from this disease find typical symptoms up to 11 years, 80% - before they reach 20 years of age. Because the disease begins to appear early, the risk of comorbid disorders such as depression increases. According to some researchers, this pathology is associated with a high risk of suicide and abuse of surfactants (surfactants).

  Social phobias can be divided into:

  • discrete, i.e. relating to a specific situation (eating food in public, public speaking, meeting with representatives of the opposite sex, etc.);
  • diffuse, i.e. relating to all social cases.

  Social phobias are often combined with:

  • low self-esteem and painful self-criticism;
  • expressed autonomic disorders(tremor, hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating), nausea, imperative urge to urinate, etc.), which are sometimes regarded by patients as the main disorder.

  As social phobia progresses, panic attacks may develop, while anxiety is always limited only to a certain social situation, it is intense and uncontrollable.

  

  Reasons for development

  In most cases, the causes of the disease should be looked for at an early age - up to 1 year. People who suffer from social anxiety disorders are more likely to healthy people, live alone, have low level education and are in a poor financial situation. Research into the causes of social anxiety disorders covers wide range theories and fields of knowledge - from neurobiology to sociology.

  The causes of the development of neurosis are:

  • deficit in childhood of adequate assessment, praise and consent from parents;
  • placing high demands on the child;
  • bullying in children's groups;
  • conflict situations in the environment or family;
  • antisocial lifestyle of parents;
  • unsuccessful first sexual experience;
  • concomitant somatic diseases;
  • genetic predisposition.

  According to latest research plays an important role in the occurrence of neurosis hereditary predisposition in combination with social factors and environmental phenomena. It has been proven that the risk of developing a condition of social pathological anxiety increases by 2-3 times if any of the immediate family suffered from such a disorder. This happens because genetic inheritance or as a result of children copying their parents' social phobias through observation.

  In studies involving twins raised different parents, it turned out that if one of the children has social phobia, for another, the possibility of developing this disorder is 30-50% higher than the average in the population.

  Overprotectiveness or excessive criticism of children in the family increases the risk of developing anxiety by 10 times. Often it is parents who, with insults uttered in a fit of anger and resentment (“You’re a rag,” “Who needs you with your character”), instill fear and self-doubt in the child.

  There is evidence of the existence of behavioral inhibition in newborns. This is a pathological ability of the functioning of the nervous system, in which the child concentrates on himself and his experiences and begins to fear society. About 15-20% of people have this trait at birth, which increases the risk of developing an anxiety disorder later in life.

  Past negative socialization experiences can trigger the development of social phobia in individuals with oversensitivity. These are suspicious people, highly suggestible, disliking others, fixated on themselves. In half of those suffering from anxiety disorder, a clear link was found between psychological trauma (humiliating or painful situations) and worsening symptoms of the disease. Not only personal, but also social experience is of great importance: observing the failures of other people makes the development of social phobia more likely.

  Social anxiety has a cumulative effect: difficulties in finding a common language with the team, rejection or rejection by peers, long years of psychological abuse. Shy teenagers and anxious adults especially emphasized in their own stories that situations of rejection from acquaintances often arose in their lives. One study showed that popularity in society reduces social anxiety. Presumably children with social phobia have the ability to receive less from their peers positive reactions, which leads to the formation of avoidant behavior.

  

  Symptoms

  All signs of an anxiety disorder can be divided into several categories, including:

  • cognitive;
  • psychological;
  • physiological;
  • behavioral.

  Cognitive signs characterizing neurosis include:

  • the desire to always look good;
  • increased demands on oneself and on others;
  • a feeling of fear that someone may be observing the behavior;
  • thoughts about yourself in a negative way.

  Social phobics fear how they will be judged by observers. They are almost always too focused on their individuality, appearance and behavior in society. Such people place high demands on themselves. A person suffering from social phobia tries to impress others, but is sure that he will not be able to do this. Patients tend to play out in their imagination possible scenarios for the development of circumstances accompanied by anxiety, analyzing their behavior. These thoughts can be intrusive and bother a person for weeks after the stressful situation has occurred. Social phobes have an inadequate understanding of their capabilities; they tend to look at themselves from the worst side. The memory of such people stores more bad events than good ones. The character of patients is varied: from pronounced shyness to inexplicable self-confidence, hot temper, aggressiveness, which often does not correspond to their usual behavior.

  Social phobia disorder differs from normal shyness in that it results in... serious consequences in the patient's life. He begins to avoid meeting people, especially small groups, dates, parties. A person avoids any situations that provoke anxiety.

  Physical symptoms of the disorder are characterized by:

  • increased sweating of the palms and feet;
  • hyperemia of the skin, especially the face;
  • the appearance of hand tremors, tremors in the limbs;
  • rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing;
  • development of stupor, unintelligible speech;
  • gait disorders;
  • emotional lability (mood swings);
  • the formation of panic attacks and even temporary stuttering.

  All of these easily noticed physical reactions by others further increase anxiety in the presence of other people.

  Associated conditions

  Exists high degree comorbidity of social phobia disorders with other mental disorders. This means the presence of additional clinical picture, which has been observed previously or may appear independently and coexist with the underlying disease, differing from it in symptoms. Typically, social phobia is accompanied by low self-esteem and depression, which develop due to the lack of personal relationships and long periods of isolation associated with the fear of meeting and communicating with people. When trying to get rid of symptoms of anxiety and depression, a person is prone to alcohol and drug abuse, which increases the risk of addiction. According to statistics, about 20% of patients with anxiety disorders suffer from alcoholism.

  Most common concomitant pathology considered depression. According to the study, among 14,263 people, 2.4% were diagnosed with social phobia, of which 16.6% were diagnosed with depression. Also often diagnosed are post-traumatic stress disorder (36%), panic disorder (33%), suicide attempts (23%), generalized anxiety disorder (19%), and substance abuse (18%). In patients with concomitant alcoholism, panic states or depression, social phobia preceded the development of the disorder in 75%, 61% and 90% of cases, respectively. There is data proving the relationship between pathology and autism, dysmorphophobia, bipolar disorder and attention deficit disorder.

  Treatment

  Many people try to cure social phobia on their own, which is associated with great difficulties and aggravates the course of the disease. If you notice symptoms that resemble an anxiety disorder, you should consult a psychiatrist or psychotherapist. It is these specialists who will be able to help a person with the problem that has arisen.

  Diagnosis of social phobia is complicated by the similarity of the clinical picture with panic disorder and the fact that patients, when visiting a doctor, most often complain about comorbid disorders (dependence on psychoactive substances, mood swings). Among patients not receiving drug treatment, dominated by people with mild and practically invisible phobias to society, which do not affect daily activities. Such social phobes, experiencing some discomfort, do not consider it necessary to seek help from a psychiatrist. In the absence of drug treatment, patients with subclinical anxiety may experience chronicity of the process, development of symptoms of depression, decreased mood, and worsening of somatic diseases. To identify social phobia, it is recommended to use convenient scales for assessing the condition (Taylor, Spielberger-Hanin, Zung, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), which are filled out by the patient independently.

  The choice of the optimal treatment regimen is determined by the type of anxiety disorder and severity (determined using the Spielberg and Hamilton scales). Light form (general indicator below 20 points) requires only psychotherapy. Patients with a long history of the disease and acute forms illnesses require medications. Combined methods therapy is recommended for people with concomitant personality disorders, alcohol and other types of addictions.

  Combination of medications psychological assistance and general strengthening procedures will help the patient overcome the disease as quickly as possible. A psychotherapist will teach a social phobia person adequate self-perception, self-control, and how to deal with negative thoughts and feelings. Cognitive behavioral psychotherapy helps a person calmly experience stressful situations and stop being anxious. When diagnosed with social phobia, meditation and hypnosis are effective.

  The development of new interests and values ​​should not contradict the basic life principles of the patient. Effective way helping the patient is a combination of group psychotherapy with exposure. Happening step by step deliverance from fear through daily training under the supervision of a psychotherapist. Gradual adaptation to situations that previously caused anxiety in a person develops.

  Role-playing games and therapeutic auto-training help restore communication skills in patients who have avoided social contacts for a long time. Behavioral methods of psychotherapy promote the formation of self-esteem and allow you to interpret the reactions of others to the actions of the patient. Social phobes develop new mental attitudes towards alarming situations and get rid of comorbid physiological symptoms. Relaxation therapy plays an important role.

  In the human body, in response to stimulation of anxiogenic (anxiety) processes, natural anti-anxiety processes are activated; the balance of these two systems determines the development of adaptation or maladaptation. The formation of physiological anxiety occurs with an optimal ratio of the activating and inhibitory systems. With a deficiency of inhibitory mechanisms, excessive anxiogenic activation occurs, which leads to depletion of functional reserves and the development of maladaptation. An important task therapy is to establish a balance between the two systems, based on the activation of anti-anxiety processes.

  Effective treatment of social phobia must be carried out over a long period of time. It is important not only to reduce anxiety, but also to increase stress resistance and activate individual anxiogenic mechanisms. Medicines occupy an important place in the treatment of social phobia and are the main method of helping with decompensation of an anxiety disorder, as well as when the patient refuses psychotraining. Medicines help overcome symptoms such as anxiety, sleep disturbances, obsessive thoughts and fears.

  Antianxiety medications

  Anxiolytic drugs (benzodiazepine derivatives) are used in most cases to treat anxiety. The effectiveness of this group of drugs has been proven for acute anxiety conditions (panic attacks). In the presence of persistent phobic disorders, monotherapy with anxiolytics is ineffective.

  Drugs from the group of nonspecific anxiolytics, which have an anti-anxiety effect, have become extremely popular in the treatment of social phobia. The use of such drugs corresponds to the principles of long-term therapy. This group of drugs includes antidepressants (TCAs - tricyclics, SSRIs - selective inhibitors serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SIRSiN - selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors), which are most effective in the combination of anxiety and depression. A significant disadvantage of these funds is the slow therapeutic effect which develops no earlier than two weeks after administration optimal dose. Therefore in clinical practice in the first two to three weeks, treatment with these drugs is combined with short courses tranquilizers.

  The group of nonspecific anxiolytic drugs includes neuroleptics, hypnotics, sedatives and antihypertensive drugs (b-blockers), which significantly reduce the autonomic symptoms of the cardiovascular system that accompany disorders.

  Antihistamines (hydroxyzine) and hormonal drugs (melatonin-inhibiting antidepressants, etc.) have anti-anxiety properties. Preparations containing magnesium, which have a membrane-stabilizing effect and lead to a pronounced decrease in excitability, are considered effective. nerve cells and reducing anxiety and fear. Magnesium also takes part in ATP synthesis, the accumulation of high-energy compounds helps to increase the functional resources of the body and the development of adequate adaptive reactions.

  Among psychotropic drugs, tranquilizers are prescribed, including sedatives and hypnotic effects(Atarax, Stresam, Afobazol). IN complex therapy use small doses antidepressants (Prozac, Ixel, Valdoxan) and “minor” antipsychotics (Olanzapine, Sonapax, Melleril, Sulpiride).

  
  

  General strengthening techniques involve the appointment vitamin complexes(B 1, B 6), nootropic drugs(Phenibut, Pantogam, Picamilon), physiotherapy and acupuncture.

  
  

  The medications most commonly used in the treatment of social phobic anxiety disorders are:

  
  

  Treatment of children and adolescents

  There is limited information about the treatment of social anxiety disorder in children and adolescents due to parental resistance to their participation in clinical trials.

  However, there is evidence of the effectiveness of Fluvoxamine in the treatment of minors with a variety of anxiety disorders, including social phobia.

  Efficacy of therapy

  Usually for an adequate assessment drug therapy it takes about 2–3 months. The choice of treatment method for people with pathological anxiety must meet the principles of continuity, duration and ease of repetition and must include a system of psycho-adaptive procedures. The effectiveness of therapy is assessed by entries in self-analysis diaries, which the patient keeps daily, and by the results of anxiety scales.

  A significant or partial reverse development of clinical symptom complexes and maladjustment phenomena may occur. The effect is assessed by the decrease:

  • anxiety that develops at the time of actions and social contacts;
  • fear of anticipation of a threatening situation;
  • avoidance of social activity and contacts;
  • associated disorders (depression, panic attacks).

Let's understand these terms.

Social phobia is a persistent irrational fear of performing any public actions, for example, public speaking, or actions accompanied by attention from strangers (fear of being on the street when people look at you, inability to do anything while being watched from the outside, etc. .)

Sociopath is a term used to describe individuals who suffer from dissocial personality disorder, characterized by a disregard for social norms, impulsivity, aggressiveness, and a severely limited ability to form attachments.

Social phobes may experience strong fear in situations where you have to communicate with strangers when they are criticized, as well as anxiety before any social events. The most common fear that a person experiences is that others will notice his anxiety, the fear of flushing his face, and in an attempt to prevent the development of anxiety, he does everything in his power to avoid the situation that contributes to his phobic reaction. This to some extent interferes with the social phobia's daily activities, depending on whether it is difficult or easy to avoid the phobic situation.

Sociopaths, on the other hand, are not afraid social interaction but they experience a deficit of social emotions such as love, guilt, shame, or remorse. They have an extremely low ability to tolerate frustration, a limited ability to form attachments, and a low threshold for the discharge of aggression, including violence. Sociopaths ignore social norms and often formulate schemes to manipulate others without caring about the consequences of the damage caused. With a pronounced tendency to blame others, they are actually unable to benefit from own experience and especially punishment.

Most effective methods Treatments for social phobia include special medications and cognitive behavioral therapy. Often these two treatments are used together to achieve optimal results.

Because individuals with dissocial personality disorder typically do not experience pain from society's perception of them as seriously impaired, they are often considered to be unmotivated to seek treatment and cannot be cured. Their disorders are alloplastic (relating to adaptation due to changes in the external environment) and ego-syntonic (acceptable to the ego); unlike social phobes, they do not experience anxiety about their maladaptive behavior. Thus, sociopathy is characterized by a tendency to create vicious circle, in which already fragile interpersonal connections become even worse due to the form of adaptation characteristic of these individuals.

Who are social phobics, how to recognize such people. The article will give tips on communicating with such individuals. Experts will also recommend ways to get rid of the stated psychological illness.

The content of the article:

Social phobias are subjects who differ markedly from their environment by the presence of certain fears and phobias. Modern society increasingly produces people with a similar pattern of behavior. However, it is worth distinguishing social phobes from the same introverts, sociopaths and misanthropes. It is necessary to understand what lies behind the voiced concept and how to behave with such eccentrics.

Causes of social phobia

People with this social anxiety are afraid of all kinds of social activities. In some cases, such subjects are confused with agoraphobes, who are afraid large cluster people. Such a parallel drawn is a fundamentally incorrect comparison, because it various manifestations human fear.

Social phobes fear many things that need to be done in the presence of other people. At the same time, their natural excitement in such cases goes off scale to the point of panic.

This issue has not yet been fully studied, but experts suggest the following sources for the appearance of the announced phenomenon:

• Heredity. A hypothesis of this nature of the origin of the problem does not yet have a clear scientific basis. However, some psychologists believe that social phobia can be transmitted at the genetic level.
• Example of parents. It is no secret that children often adopt the behavior patterns of adults from their immediate environment. Consequently, for them, anxiety disorder regarding society will become the norm in the future. The “carbon copy” effect will work, which will bring many problems to the child, who will eventually become a mature person.
• Bad comparison. Some parents consider themselves unsurpassed teachers who know better than anyone else about raising their children. In order to provoke healthy competition in their child, in their opinion, they praise other children to the detriment of their own offspring. As a result (even if not out of malice), they turn their child into a social phobe.
• Negative attitude of society. Sometimes incorrect behavior of teachers can create an anxious personality out of a child. Signs of social phobia also appear in those children who have become victims of ridicule from their peers. As a result, victims of abusive relationships withdraw into themselves and begin to fear many things that need to be done in public.
• Psychological trauma. Bitter experiences in the past when communicating with society can cause the described anxiety in a person. People who give a presentation unsuccessfully are unlikely to be eager to repeat a failed experiment. Any stress can trigger a voiced mechanism of anxiety, from which literally every person can suffer.

Not in all cases, experts are able to say with confidence why people become social phobics. The person himself may not know the reason for what is happening to him in the absence of the listed provoking factors.

Types of social phobia

Human fears and concerns have different natures of formation. People with this behavior pattern may be afraid to do the most ordinary things, which does not indicate their mental disorder.

In most cases, social phobics are wary of the following factors:

1. Fear of public speaking. Not every person feels relaxed in front of a large audience. However, simply being excited and being stupefied by the proposed event are completely different things. A sociophobe is simply unable to put two words together when speaking, because he simply loses the power of speech.
2. Fear of telephone conversations . At first glance, such a fear seems quite strange. However, there is a category of people who are unable to negotiate without seeing the interlocutor. These subjects may even be brilliant speakers in front of a real audience, but they freeze when they see an intercom. However, there is no need to attribute this phobia to young children who refuse to negotiate even with loved ones. They simply, due to their age, do not understand why talk to a receiver. Over time, this goes away without consequences for the psyche.
3. Inability to eat in public. A person with such a phobia does not want to visit points Catering or eat in the presence of your colleagues and even acquaintances. There can be many reasons for this fear, but usually you need to look for them in childhood. Also, the cause may be personal complexes based on lack of self-confidence and appearance.
4. Denial of work under supervision. Not everyone can do the assigned work if someone carefully controls it. For social phobes, simple glances are enough when they are busy labor activity to unsettle them.
5. Inability to go to a public toilet. The point here is not at all a matter of disgust, because it is not the cause of the voiced phobia. In some cases, people with such fear and rejection of a natural fact cannot visit the restroom even when visiting friends. This may also include a pathological fear of becoming infected with something. Such people, forced to visit a public toilet, often cover everything with paper and enter almost wearing gloves, not forgetting to rub their hands for a long time and wash them with disinfectants.
6. Rejection of stares on the street. Any passerby who glances at a social phobe with this problem can throw him out of balance. Therefore, people with a similar behavior model try to leave their home as little as possible, preferring the lot of a recluse.
7. Fear of physical touch. This phobia is typical for autistic people, but sometimes it also occurs in people who, due to circumstances, have had injuries, felt severe pain, especially from beatings in childhood, who received less affection from their parents.

Important! A social phobe is not always afraid of one particular situation. In some cases, he may be susceptible to a whole range of factors that are disturbing to him. All this is serious reason to contact a specialist, without whose help you can no longer do.

Distinctive features of a social phobe

When an individual encounters an alarming situation, he experiences significant physical and moral discomfort. Externally, such unfavorable transformations in the body may look like this:

• Change in skin color. This phenomenon accurately characterizes what a social phobia looks like during stress. If he needs to show activity in public, such a person’s face begins to turn red from a sharp increase in pressure. The opposite also happens, when the unfortunate person turns blue in a situation that is uncomfortable for him.
• Sweating. In addition to changes in the color of the skin, social phobes experience a voiced unpleasant phenomenon. Domestic sebaceous glands in an uncomfortable environment or situation, they begin to actively work, which causes profuse sweating in the experiencing person.
• Shaking hands. Tremors occur not only in alcoholics during a hangover, but also in social phobes. Similar phenomenon speaks of extreme overexcitation of a person, which is not always caused by positive and joyful factors.
• Increased heart rate. Main body human life always actively reacts to most stressful situations. In rare cases, the subject will remain completely calm if the event irritates him. For social phobes, their heart jumps out of their chest when they have to do something that frightens them and brings significant discomfort.
• Weakness in the knees. In a state of strong emotional overexcitation from the situation that causes the phobia, a similar physical phenomenon occurs in a person. With him, it is difficult for the poor fellow to stand on his feet from excitement, which is very noticeable to the people around him.
• Numbness. You can freeze with delight, but the stupor lasts a very short time. Social phobes turn into a pillar of salt if they need to do something that terrifies them.
• Speech problems. Stuttering or rapid, halting speech may also characterize a person with a vocal problem. Usually such people are withdrawn and even sometimes gloomy, but in a critical situation for them they arise serious problems with diction if you want to throw out long-restrained emotions.
• Avoiding looking into another person's eyes. Such fear is very typical for a social phobe, and therefore is a characteristic sign of deviation in his behavior. Such a complex should not be confused with shyness, because it cannot be a significant problem for the affected subject.

You should carefully observe how a social phobic behaves so that you do not aggravate his condition with your incorrect behavior. You especially need to be extremely tactful if it concerns a person from your close circle. The feelings of others must be protected so as not to become an outcast in society over time.

Rules for communicating with a social phobe

This delicate issue often concerns those people who worry about someone dear to them. It can also be difficult for colleagues to find mutual language with a sullen personality who has to deal with business matters.

Experts offer the following tips on how to communicate with a social phobia:

1. Unobtrusiveness. There is no point in trying to prove to such a person that he cannot have problems on this basis. People with a vocal phobia know everything about themselves, so you shouldn’t try to convince them otherwise. Most often, they see the negative in most cases, and friendly attitude They simply don’t take it to themselves.
2. Loyalty. Social phobes have extremely low self-esteem and increased demands on themselves. Some of them become a hermit, while others try to please those around them, setting themselves up in advance for the failure of the planned enterprise. You should not judge such people strictly, because their problem is quite serious and requires sympathy from those around them.
3. Support. Worsening social phobia can lead to such severe consequences in a person, such as alcoholism or drug addiction, loss of work and deep depression. Therefore, it is worth offering the person help unobtrusively. If you refuse, you don’t need to show aggression, but you need to try again a little later.

Methods to combat social phobia

Few people with this behavior pattern feel happy. Sometimes they think about how to stop being a social phobe. Experts have developed a number of recommendations to solve the problem raised, which work in many cases.

Help from psychologists in the fight against social phobia

Healers of human souls suggest getting rid of such anxiety in the following way:

• Cognitive technique. With this method, adaptation occurs to those life issues that cause fear in the patient. In artificially simulated situations, the social phobe is asked to make a decision on his own further actions. In this case, the following types are carried out psychological treatment, as role-playing and training, which have proven themselves to be excellent.
• Relaxation therapy. Social phobes are constantly in a tense state, which affects their mental and physical condition. In this case, we are not talking about hypnosis, but about learning to independently relax your muscles. Usually ten sessions are enough to achieve any result, but the process can be longer.

Important! A social phobe should know in advance that treatment with a psychotherapist sometimes takes a long time. long time. One should thoroughly prepare for the fight against mental illness that prevents a person from taking up worthy place in society.

Medication to get rid of social phobia

If the subject flatly refuses to see a psychotherapist, then you can try to mitigate some of his negative symptoms with the help of medications. The following medications will come to the rescue in this case:

1. Antidepressants. To third generation miracle pills for removal anxiety state should include Paroxetine, Citalopram, Fluoxetine and Sertraline (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). However, they should be taken only after a doctor’s prescription, because in the end you can get the opposite result.
2. Benzodiazepines. The short-acting drugs mentioned include Triazolam, Brotizolam and Midazolam. Medicines such as Clonazepam, Alprazolam and Lorazepam have an average effect. The longest-acting benzodiazepines are Diazepam and Chlordiazepoxide. However, with similar treatment one must be extremely careful, because it sometimes causes addiction and re-depression after a period of remission.

Watch a video about who social phobes are:

Social phobes are people who are in constant voltage if they are faced with a situation that frightens them. They themselves and those around them need to take the existing problem seriously. The consequences of this phenomenon can be extremely negative, so it is worthwhile to start transforming your life.

The desire to always look good

Constriction in communication

Shyness

Avoiding crowds of people

Avoiding noisy companies

Negative thoughts about yourself

Negative attitude towards people

Blurred speech

Increased demands on yourself and others

Panic attacks

Stress when you need to step out of your comfort zone

Stupor

Social phobia – mental disorder, expressed in anxious fear, paralyzing the will and thoughts of a person during his contacts with other people. People suffering from this disorder often avoid society, never speak in public, and are terribly embarrassed when meeting new people. Until recently, the term social phobia in medical practice did not exist - doctors believed that a certain detachment and shyness was just a character trait of a person. However, today it has become clear to doctors that social phobia is the same disorder of personal behavior as any other phobia, therefore this disorder can be successfully treated, and it can be treated either with the help of a psychiatrist and psychotherapist, or independently.

Causes

The reasons for this psychological disorder usually lie in childhood, when the child did not receive proper approval for his actions and recognition of his personality. If parents always compared a child with other children, overestimating the importance of their achievements and underestimating the importance of what he does, such a child will not have confidence in his abilities and in himself. This causes deep insecurity and low self-esteem.

Overprotection can also lead to the development of such a disorder, since excessive care for the child “tells” him that he is not able to do anything on his own. Hence, again, lack of confidence in yourself and your abilities.

There are also hereditary causes disorder such as social phobia. That is, if one of the relatives in the family suffers from this disorder, it is likely that the child will also have a tendency to such a disorder as social phobia. Moreover, the tendency is not always transmitted through genes - sometimes adopted children suffer from the disorder, that is, there is a family factor in the development of the disease.

The reasons for the development of the disorder may also lie in the impact of unfavorable life factors on a person. For example, if a person experienced a painful separation, divorce, dismissal from work - severe stress may cause the development of social phobia. Also, 60% of people develop social phobia after traumatic events during which they experienced humiliation. For example, if you were ridiculed in public or were subjected to violence in front of significant people(This is especially common today among teenagers who, by offending their own kind, increase their status in the team).

Those people who were rejected by their peers in childhood also suffer from this disorder in adulthood. For example, a girl who was unpopular at school does not strive to prove herself in society, but hides from her social anxiety in the role of an exemplary housewife. Unpopular and rejected boys often struggle to cope with their psychological problem with the help of drugs or alcohol, which temporarily give them the opportunity to feel their importance in this world and stop being afraid of society.

In a word, the causes of this disorder always lie deep in the characteristics of a person’s personality, and therefore, in order to cure the disorder, it is necessary to recognize them, no matter how they are disguised.

Symptoms

In order to understand how to get rid of social phobia, you need to know how the disease manifests itself, because without knowing the symptoms, you can live your whole life, believing that you are simply unlucky and have such a shy character.

All symptoms of this disorder can be divided into several categories, including:

• physical;
• cognitive;
• psychological;
• behavioral.

Physical symptoms are obvious manifestations anxiety state, which are characterized by:

• increased sweating of the palms;
• redness of the skin;
• the appearance of tremor;
• increased heart rate;
• development of stupor;
• slurred speech;
• development and even temporary.

All these symptoms occur in a person in situations where he needs to contact strangers or speak in public, etc.

Cognitive signs that characterize this disorder include:

• desire to always look good;
• increased demands, first of all, on yourself, and then on others;
• a feeling of horror at the thought that someone might be observing his behavior;
• thoughts about yourself in a negative way.

Psychological signs of this disorder include: constant feeling fear and experiencing extreme stress when it is necessary to leave your comfort zone.

Behavioral symptoms characteristic of this disorder include a person’s avoidance of noisy companies and large crowds of people, shyness and tightness in communication. That is, the individual avoids any situations that cause him fear or anxiety. When communicating, he never makes eye contact, because he is afraid to see condemnation or disapproval in the eyes of his interlocutor. Such a person perceives everyone around him as enemies.

Of course, the symptoms of a disorder such as social phobia may manifest themselves to one degree or another. For some, they are clearly expressed, to the point that a person becomes a hermit or drinks himself to death, trying to drown out his fears with alcohol. For others, the symptoms are subtle - they only experience a feeling of discomfort when communicating with people. And it is best to treat the disorder if the symptoms are mild, since in this case you can get rid of the pathology forever. You can even cope with the disease at this stage on your own, using relaxation techniques, auto-training and recommendations from a psychologist regarding behavior changes. In advanced cases, it is necessary to constantly control your emotions and periodically take antidepressants that will allow the person to feel normal.

Features of treatment

Treatment of social phobia can be medicinal and non-medicinal. When taking medication, a person is prescribed antidepressants, beta blockers, benzodiazepine, serotonin reuptake inhibitors and others medicines necessary for the patient's recovery. Most often on initial stages When a person cannot cope with the disorder on his own, doctors prescribe antidepressants, which allow him to see the world without emotions, and therefore without negative connotations.

Also, treatment of social phobia can be non-drug, that is, with the help behavioral psychotherapy. The sessions must be conducted by a qualified specialist - he is obliged to identify the causes of the development of the disorder and help the person understand them. In addition, its task is to reprogram the negative attitudes that exist in the patient’s brain into positive ones.

In the initial stages of a disorder such as social phobia, each person can reprogram his thoughts and emotions himself, but to do this he will have to carefully monitor them, selecting those that improve the quality of his life and ignoring those that worsen it. If a person makes some efforts in the fight against his pathology, he will not need antidepressants and heavier medications, and joy will return to life.

Thus, knowing how to get rid of social phobia, each person can begin treatment when initial symptoms, and cope with the disease on your own, regaining your joy of life and a sense of control.

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Diseases with similar symptoms:

Agoraphobia is an illness from the neurotic spectrum, which is classified as an anxiety-phobic disorder. Characteristic manifestation pathologists - fear of being in in public places and in open spaces. It is worth noting that agoraphobia includes not only the fear open space, but also the fear of open doors, fear due to the presence large quantity of people. Usually a person’s feeling of panic arises due to the fact that he does not have the opportunity to hide in a safe place.

People suffering from social phobia feel uncomfortable in the presence of other people. They are very dependent on the opinions of others. They try to make a positive impression on people, but constantly doubt whether they are good enough at it. And it is precisely because of this that such people try to remain unnoticed. They try to avoid situations in which they think they might be rejected.

Sometimes fear of society can manifest itself in the form of such somatic symptoms as trembling, increased sweating, redness, nausea, etc. Usually fear manifests itself when communicating with strangers and unfamiliar people, when public speaking or in any other situations when you do something “under the gun” of people around you.

However, the most common fear is the fear of being “not accepted” by other people. At the same time, a social phobe is afraid of all types of criticism addressed to him, be it criticism of his behavior, character or appearance. But not every social phobe is afraid of what other people with a similar problem are afraid of. Some people worry because they think others see them as ugly, while others see themselves as awkward, nervous, or shy. What these situations have in common is the fear that people around them will notice something negative in the appearance or behavior of a person who suffers from social phobia. Some people are primarily afraid of the consequences of social contacts. Others are less concerned about the expected consequences of such contacts: for them it is more important that the opinions of others correspond to their own importance.

If the fear in some situations is strong enough, then the person suffering from social phobia will try to avoid such situations. He will have to stay home against his will instead of going to a club or party. In work or study, people with social phobia are away from the team. A social phobe does not run away from a problematic situation, but tries to minimize the risk of attracting the attention of other people. This is also a form of social phobia. You may wear inconspicuous clothes, not communicate with colleagues, avoid the gaze of others, and answer their questions rudely and briefly. In an ideal job, you are trying to prevent criticism from your colleagues or your boss.

Some social phobes behave too ingratiatingly or animatedly in companies. Thus, they try to hide their anxiety and prevent the possible hostility of other people, who are often not even aware of the true experiences of such people.

Any person has had to experience stress or anxiety throughout his life in situations related to communication. If the felt anxiety or does not lead to the avoidance of situations associated with these experiences, then we are not talking about social phobia.