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Social anxiety is a very debilitating emotional problem and is the third largest psychological disorder in the Unites States. Social anxiety is brought on by the fear of being judged poorly by other people, which leads to feelings of inadequacy, depression and humiliation when in a public situation. Social anxiety ranges from mild to severe. Mild cases can be managed easily where severe cases can be so debilitating that the person will not leave their house. People have been known to lose or quit their jobs over social anxiety. The stress is just too much to bear and the person just wants to hide from the world.
Most people who suffer from social anxiety are fine when they are alone or with people they know and trust, but will feel intense fear and anxiety when with new people or when out in a public place. Something as simple as going to the mall or even the grocery store can become a terrifying experience. Social anxiety disorder (social phobia) is more common than once thought. Millions of people all over the world suffer from social anxiety.
With social anxiety, doing something as simple as meeting a new person can become a terrifying situation. It seems to be worse if the person they are meeting is someone of authority like a politician or someone in upper management. Other things that cause anxiety are being the center of attention, or being watched by people. People with social anxiety will avoid situations that make them feel stress so those who go untreated usually spend a lot of time alone, which can cause a person to feel isolated and depressed.
Here are some facts about social anxiety: Approximately 8% of the population suffer from some form of social anxiety. About 14% of people will suffer from social anxiety at some point in their life. Some of the things that accompany social anxiety are: low self-esteem, depression, self-consciousness, avoidance, job limitations, lack of assertiveness, difficulty in talking to other people, feelings of being judged negatively and perfectionism.
Treatment for social anxiety is done with medication and comprehensive cognitive-behavioral therapy. One of the more popular prescriptions for social anxiety is Paxil. The prognosis for social anxiety is extremely good. With therapy and medication, there is now no real reason that a person has to suffer.
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