Social Anxiety Research Paper

There are many different kinds of mental disorders and illnesses, but anxiety is possibly the most common. Anxiety is defiantly difficult to live with, but there are ways you can manage it. Take it from someone who has to deal with it, it’s not very fun. It affects how you function mentally, emotionally, and even physically. Anxiety is an everyday struggle and takes a pretty huge toll on a person. There are many different forms of anxiety, including social anxiety disorder, specific phobias, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. I myself struggle with social anxiety and specific phobias, but I am learning how to manage them, even though it is very difficult. It is not something that should be joked about, it is just as serious

as depression, eating disorders, and many more. Just like all those issues, there is no way you can just “get over it” or “stop”.
Social anxiety disorder is also called social phobia, is the anxiety disorder in which that person has a tremendous and irrational fear of social situations.

Someone with this disorder is terrified the he or she will make mistakes, look bad, and be embarrassed or humiliated in front of others. The fear can get worse if there is a lack of social skills or experience in social situations. Therefore a person, who deals with this disorder, undergoes certain social situations in extreme distress or may even avoid them all together. In addition, people with social anxiety disorder tend to suffer “anticipatory” anxiety, or the fear of a situation before it even happens, for days or even weeks before an event. In a lot of cases, that person is aware that the fear is unreasonable, and yet is unable to overcome it. Social anxiety disorder is the second most common type of anxiety disorder and the third most common mental disorder in the U.S., after depression and alcohol reliance. In estimate, 19.2 million Americans have social anxiety disorder. It most often comes forth in adolescence or early adulthood, but can occur at any time including early childhood. There is no single known cause of this disorder, but research suggests that biological, psychological, and environmental factors may possibly play a role in how it is

developed.
Any person with this disorder suffers from distorted thinking. This includes any kind of false beliefs about social situations and negative opinions of others. Without any kind of treatment, social anxiety disorder can negatively interfere with the person’s normal daily routines, consisting of school, work, social activities, and relationships. A person with this disorder may be afraid of a specific situation, such as speaking in public. However, most people with this kind of anxiety disorder fear more than one social situation. This could include eating or drinking in front of others, writing or working in front of others, being the center of attention, interacting with people, asking questions or giving reports in groups, using public toilets, and even talking on the telephone.
“Phobia” is the term that refers to a group of anxiety symptoms that is brought on by a certain object or situation.

Specific phobia is a lasting and irrational fear that is caused by the existence or thought of a specific object or situation that tends to poses little or no actual danger. Any interaction with the object brings forth an immediate reaction, causing the person to experience intense nervousness (anxiety) or that person will avoid the situation completely. The distress that is associated with the phobia and/or the need to avoid that object or situation can considerably interfere with that person’s ability to

function.
There are different types of specific phobia, including animal phobias, situational phobias, natural environment phobias, blood-injection-injury phobias, and other phobias, such as fear of falling down, fear of loud sounds, and a fear of costumed characters. In estimate, about 5%-12% of Americans have phobias, and specific phobias affect an estimated 6.3 million adult Americans. Specific phobias in children are common and usually disappear over a period of time, while specific phobias that start in adulthood generally start out of nowhere and last longer than childhood phobias. Only about 20% of these phobias in adults will go away, without treatment, on their own. Most phobias appear to be associated with a traumatic experience or a learned reaction.
Panic disorder is different than the normal fear and anxiety reactions to stressful events. This is a serious condition that strikes without any reason or warning. This disorder will often occur along with other serious conditions such as depression, alcoholism, and drug abuse. Symptoms of a panic attack, which often last about ten minutes, will include difficulty breathing, pounding heart or chest pain, intense feeling of dread, sensation of choking or smothering, dizziness or feeling faint, trembling or shaking, sweating, nausea or stomach ache, tingling or numbness in fingers and toes, chills or hot flashes, and a fear that you are losing control or about to die. Besides the panic attacks themselves, a key symptom of the disorder is the persistent fear of having a future attack. Like most anxieties, the exact cause isn’t fully understood, but studies have shown that it a combination of factors may be involved, including family history, abnormalities in the brain, substance abuse and major life stress. Panic disorder affects about 2.4 million adult Americans and most often being during late adolescence and early adulthood.