Social Anxiety Disorder

EMDR and Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder, otherwise know as SAD, also known as social phobia, is the most common anxiety disorder among other types of anxiety disorder. It is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, with 12% of Americans having experienced it in their lifetime.

It is known and labeled by intense fear in one or more social situations, causing considerable distress and impaired the ability to function in at least some parts of daily life. Most people that go through anxiety attack rarely knows what is going on with them.
A person with social anxiety disorder is afraid that he or she will make mistakes, look bad, and be embarrassed or humiliated in front of others. Most of these fear must have been triggered during childhood or adolescence stage of developing. The fear may be made worse by a lack of social skills or experience in social situations. The anxiety can build into a panic attack. As a result of the fear, the person endures certain social situations in extreme distress or may avoid them altogether. In addition, people with social anxiety disorder often suffer “anticipatory” anxiety — the fear of a situation before it even happens — for days or weeks before the event. It can be really frustrating – coming from someone dealing with a family member suffering from social anxiety. In many cases, the person is aware that the fear is unreasonable, yet is unable to overcome it.

People with social anxiety disorder or social phobia become very anxious and self-conscious in everyday social situations. They have an intense, persistent, and chronic fear of being watched and judged by others, and of doing things that will embarrass them. They can worry for days or weeks before a dreaded situation. This fear may become so severe that it interferes with work, school, and other ordinary activities, and can make it hard to make and keep friends. Although many people with social phobia realize that their fears about being with people are excessive or unreasonable, they are unable to overcome them on their own.
Social anxiety disorder or social phobia can be limited to one situation (such as talking to people, eating or drinking, or writing on a blackboard in front of others). Or, it may be so broad (such as in generalized social phobia) that the person experiences anxiety around almost everyone other than family members. See what you can do to stop your social anxiety disorder.

THE CAUSES OF SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER

Just like any other anxiety disorder, it may be caused by several things ranging from different factors. The causes of social anxiety disorder can vary considerably. When a doctor is trying to determine the causes of a patient’s anxiety attacks, he will assess environmental issues, traits in the person’s personality, the patient’s brain chemistry, any past traumas and the family medical history. This is pretty much most of what will be done during the emdr session, if you choose to go that route. Firstly, the environmental issues may include poverty, childhood/parental separation, overly strict parents, overly critical parents, excessive family conflicts, fearful parents, anxious parents and a lacking support system.
After the reason has been determined for the anxiety attacks, the doctor will attempt to make a diagnosis. However, if the fifth most common causes are not setting off the anxiety attacks then the doctor will look at these other options:
· Hypoglycemia – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical situations
· Thyroid diseases – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical situations
·Sleep disorders – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Adrenal disorders – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· diabetes – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Asthma – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· migraines – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Epilepsy – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Certain heart conditions – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Other psychiatric illnesses – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Caffeine/other stimulants – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Drugs – heroin/cocaine/amphetamines – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Over-the-counter drugs such as anti-inflammatories, cold/cough/decongestants – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Steroids (cortisone, prednisone, etc.) – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Weight loss drugs – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Birth control medicines – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Thyroid medications – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Inhalers/respiratory medications – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Herbal products – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· High /low blood pressure medications – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Alcohol withdrawal – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Ritalin – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Adderall – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Dexedrine – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Benzodiazepines withdrawal – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Ulcers – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Hypertension – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Asthma – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Chronic lung diseases – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Apnea/sleep apnea – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· IBS – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Chronic headaches – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Prolapsed of the mitral valve – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
· Chronic fatigue syndrome – can trigger anxiety attacks under certain medical conditions
and many more.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER

Physical symptoms that often occur with social phobia include:
•Blushing
•Difficulty talking
•Nausea
•Profuse sweating
•Trembling
The goal of treatment is to help you function effectively. The success of the treatment usually depends on the severity of the phobia.
Anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications are sometimes used to help relieve the symptoms of phobias. See: Panic Disorder for more information about medications.
Behavioral treatment appears to have long-lasting benefits.
•Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps you understand and change the thoughts that are causing your condition, as well as learn to recognize and replace panic-causing thoughts.
•Systematic desensitization or exposure therapy may be used to treat phobias. You are asked to relax, then imagine the things that cause the anxiety, working from the least fearful to the most fearful. Gradual exposure to the real-life situation has also been used with success to help people overcome their fears.
•Social skills training may involve social contact in a group therapy situation to practice social skills. Role playing and modeling are techniques used to help you become more comfortable relating to others in a social situation.
Lifestyle changes may help reduce how often the attacks occur.
•Get regular exercise, enough sleep, and regularly scheduled meals.
•Reduce or avoid the use of caffeine, some over-the-counter cold medicines, and other stimulants.

SOLUTION
As a health enthusiast and a researcher, I’ve read about a system that helps you get your life back by overcoming your social anxiety disorder. This information can be found at the shyness and social anxiety system

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Learn more about social anxiety disorder

EMDR and Anxiety Disorder

THE CAUSES OF SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER

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