Social Anxiety Milton Keynes

Cognitive behaviour therapy is very effective in treating social anxiety disorder. The central component of this treatment is exposure therapy, which involves helping you gradually become more comfortable with situations that frighten you. The exposure process often involves three stages. The first involves introducing you to the feared situation. The second level is to increase the risk for disapproval in that situation, so you build confidence that you can handle rejection or criticism. The third stage involves teaching you techniques to cope with disapproval. In this stage, you may imagine the worst and you are encouraged to develop constructive responses to your fear and perceived disapproval.

In addition you would be treated with hypnotherapy which is particularly beneficial in helping to reduce any of your worries surrounding social anxiety. A course of hypnotherapy may help you to keep calm in trigger situations, and learn to adopt a more relaxed and positive mental attitude through the use of methods such as positive suggestion and visualisation.

For help and a free initial consultation either phone 01908 265410 or e-mail leigh@setyourmindfree.co.uk

 

What is social anxiety?

Social anxiety is the fear of social situations, and the interaction with other people that can automatically bring on feelings of self-consciousness, judgment, evaluation, and inferiority.

Put another way, social anxiety is the fear and anxiety of being judged and evaluated negatively by other people, leading to feelings of inadequacy, embarrassment, humiliation, and depression.

If a person usually becomes anxious in social situations, but seems fine when they are alone, then social anxiety may be the problem.

Social anxiety disorder (formerly termed social phobia) is a much more common problem than past estimates have led us to believe.  Millions of people all over the world suffer from this devastating and traumatic problem every day. It is estimated that 7-8% of the population suffers from some form of social anxiety at the present time.  The lifetime prevalence rate for developing social anxiety disorder is 13-14%.

Symptoms:

People with social anxiety disorder usually experience significant emotional distress in the following situations:

•    Being introduced to other people
•    Being teased or criticised
•    Being the centre of attention
•    Being watched while doing something
•    Meeting people in authority (important people)
•    Most social encounters, especially with strangers
•    Going around the room (or table) in a circle and having to say something
•    Interpersonal relationships, whether friendships or romantic

The physiological manifestations that accompany social anxiety may include: 

•    intense fear
•    racing heart
•    turning red or blushing
•    excessive sweating
•    dry throat and mouth
•    trembling
•    swallowing with difficulty
•    muscle twitches particularly about the face and neck

 

Causes:

The exact cause of social anxiety disorder is under investigation. Like many other emotional disturbances, social anxiety disorder is a complex issue with many possible contributing factors. The following are several theories regarding the causes of social anxiety disorder.

Genetic predisposition may play a part, just as physical features such as hair and eye colour are inherited, sensitivity to criticism or social scrutiny may be passed on from one generation to the next. It’s possible that the child of one or two shy parents may inherit genetic code that amplifies shyness into social anxiety disorder.

Researchers found a physiological accompaniment of anxious temperament in these children of a high resting heart rate. Their resting heart rates rose even higher in the presence of mild stresses. Additionally, when exposed to new situations, these children exhibited substantial behavioural restraint – becoming quiet, avoiding interaction and even retreating from the scene.

Individuals with social anxiety disorder may also have abnormalities in the functioning of some parts of their anxiety response system. Most often, the symptoms of long-term social anxiety disorder can be attributed to an improper chemical balance in the brain. There are several key neurotransmitters, namely Serotonin, Norepinephrine and Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which are produced in the brain and directly affect the way we feel about a given thought or situation.

In terms of emotive response, this neurochemical process is vital to sustaining a sense of emotional well-being. Examples of brain regulation include control of thinking, control of physiologic functions, and control of behaviours. For example, thoughts can range from safe to dangerous, serious to humorous, etc. Physiologic functions, such as regulation of blood flow, the nervous system and the muscular system, fluctuate from resting states to initial arousal, then to marked arousal/anxiety and finally to extreme anxiety or panic.