What is Social Anxiety Disorder?

Social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, is a common mental health condition in which ordinary, everyday interactions tend to cause significant anxiety, self-consciousness, or embarrassment to the individual.

While there’s no medical test for social anxiety disorder, psychologist can use standard criteria to diagnose the disorder and rule out other conditions such as depression and substance abuse problems.

Causes of Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder typically begins in teenage years, however it can sometimes start in younger children or develop later in adults.

A number of factors may contribute to a person developing social anxiety disorder, which include:

• Genetic factors – Social anxiety disorder tends to be more prevalent in families with a history of the condition.
• Environmental factors – Regular exposure to humiliation, abuse or poor treatment, especially by family or friends.
• Biological factors – People with imbalances in serotonin, dopamine and other hormones are typically at higher risk of developing social anxiety disorder.

Symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder

In contrast to the moderate levels of nervousness, shyness or awkwardness that most people experience, sufferers of social anxiety disorder have extremely high levels that are often driven by an excessive fear of being negatively judged by others.

Signs and symptoms of social anxiety disorder can also involve:

• Fear of interacting with other people or situations.
• Fear of embarrassment or humiliation.
• Excessive worrying about social events or the potential consequences of negative experiences.
• Avoidance of social or public situations, including shopping, talking on the phone and eating out.
• Physical manifestations of the symptoms above, which include blushing, sweating or trembling.

Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder

Psychological support may be helpful to treat your symptoms of social anxiety disorder. Our preferred therapeutic approach when treating social anxiety disorder – and other psychological conditions such as depression – is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or ACT.

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT plays a key role in helping people to better deal with the range of symptoms associated with social anxiety disorder. ACT is a mindfulness-based therapy which supports people to change how they experience their thoughts and emotions. ACT also supports people to make changes in their lives which are in line with their personal values.

Treatment Options

At XXXXXX, we have experience in the following therapy types:

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
• Exposure Therapy and Prolonged Exposure
• Motivational Interviewing
  

Face-to-face or online appointments for treatment of social anxiety disorder can be booked at our XXXXXX clinic.