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Social Anxiety Disorder: People
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The World Psychiatric Association suggests that as few as 25 per cent of people who have Social Anxiety Disorder currently receive treatment. Treatment options need to be introduced as soon as a diagnosis is made to alleviate the impairment to the sufferer's life, and to prevent the further development of other related conditions such as depression, avoidant personality disorder, eating disorders and drug and alcohol abuse.
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Social Anxiety Disorder is equally common in men and women and is found across all cultures. The World Psychiatric Association estimates that 3 per cent of the population suffer from this condition at any one time. Other studies suggest the figure to be as high as 8 - 15%, or 1in 7 people.
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Social anxiety disorder is ... known as social phobia. Individuals with this disorder experience intense fear of being negatively evaluated by others or of being publicly embarrassed because of impulsive acts. Almost everyone experiences "stage fright" when speaking or performing in front of a group. Since occasionally there are artists or performers with social anxiety disorder who are able to perform publicly without significant anxiety, their love of performing and practicing their art may be diminishing their anxiety. Even such high-functioning phobics such as Glenn Gould experience anxiety in performance. But people with social phobias often become so anxious that performance, if they are not natural performers, such as children playing musical instruments from a young age, is out of the question.
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Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), or Social Phobia, is characterized by overwhelming anxiety and feelings of extreme self-consciousness in social situations. Some patients only suffer from this disorder in certain situations like speaking in public or making presentations in a class or office setting. Some are uncomfortable eating or drinking in front of others. In its most severe form, Social Anxiety Disorder causes symptoms whenever a person is around other people. People who suffer from this disorder know that their feelings are irrational. Even if they can work through those feelings and go out in public, they will still feel anxious before the event and have symptoms throughout the event.
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Social anxiety disorder (SAD)... known as social phobia, is characterized by an intense fear of being scrutinized and negatively evaluated by others in social or performance situations. Some people with SAD literally feel sick from fear in seemingly non-threatening situations, such as ordering food in a restaurant, signing their name in public, or making a phone call. Although they recognize that the fear is excessive and unreasonable, people with SAD feel powerless against their anxiety. They are terrified they will behave in a way that will embarrass or humiliate them. Their anxiety can interfere significantly with daily routines, occupational performance, or social life. It can make it difficult to complete school, interview for and obtain jobs, and create and maintain friendships and romantic partnerships.
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The most effective treatment for social anxiety disorder is a type of therapy called Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy or CBT. Through a series of structured exercises, socially anxious individuals learn to identify the negative thoughts that are accompanying their anxiety. They ... learn common ways that thinking becomes distorted in emotionally charged situations, and learn to generate more neutral alternatives. The therapy also teaches skills for distracting from anxiety when it starts to occur (focusing the mind on something else so the anxiety is less noticeable). Individuals then practice more neutral thoughts by using behavioral experiments to gradually attempt some of the activities that were previously anxiety-producing. The experiments help people with social anxiety watch for evidence about others’ reactions instead of just making negative assumptions.
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