Social phobia (or social anxiety)

Social phobia, also known as social anxiety or social anxiety disorder, is without a doubt, one of the most common phobias, and often goes unrecognised, as it can appear in so many guises.

Social phobia / social anxiety is essentially a fear of being judged by others, worry about how others might perceive you, about how you are going to cope in certain situations.

For the sufferer of social phobia / social anxiety, any social situations can become very difficult, as can any situation where a group of people are involved.  The sufferer of social phobia / social anxiety constantly worries about what others are thinking about them, whether those people are judging them, and can end up in the feeling that they are being noticed, in everything they do.

The symptoms of social phobia and social anxiety can vary greatly, but often include palpitations, dryness of mouth, weak bladder, blushing, stuttering, sweating, shaking, diarrhoea, and even a full blown panic attack.

Social phobia / social anxiety can affect the sufferers life in so many ways, as it can affect social situations, evenings out, shopping, finding a partner and even education.

Some social phobics often find that they need to have an alcoholic drink before going out, and ultimately, some people with social phobia and social anxiety may not be able to go out at all, and it can develop into agoraphobia.

It's quite easy to see why social phobia and social anxiety can often be the cause of depression.

Alcohol and drug abuse is one way that some people try to find a way out, but all this really does is hide the symptoms, NOT remove the underlying anxiety.

One of the other ways that social phobia and social anxiety can manifest itself is in a fear of public speaking or stage fright.

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