Social Phobia: What It Is and How to Overcome It

What Is Social Phobia? How Can Social Phobia Be Overcome?

Social phobia is an anxiety disorder in which a person has a marked and persistent fear of embarrassing themselves in social situations. People fear interacting with others or doing something in front of others and try to avoid these situations as much as possible. They think others will judge them as weak, incompetent or stupid. Because they worry that others will notice their hands or voice trembling, they may avoid speaking, eating, drinking or writing in public.

The lifetime prevalence of social phobia ranges from 2% to 13%. It is one of the most common psychiatric illnesses. It begins between early and late adolescence (ages 10–17). According to a study conducted among university students in Türkiye, social phobia was found in 24% of the students.

What Are the Symptoms of Social Phobia?

In social phobia, physical symptoms appear when the person faces the feared situation. These include blushing, sweating, dry mouth, palpitations, feeling breathless, shortness of breath, gastrointestinal discomfort, diarrhea, muscle tension and trembling.

At such moments, the thoughts going through the person's mind are along the lines of "I'm weak, I'm inadequate, I'm ugly, people don't like me, I don't deserve to be loved, I mustn't make mistakes, I have to be perfect, I mustn't show that I'm anxious, I have to act relaxed, I have to look flawless, I have to win everyone's approval."

The avoidance behaviors that follow these thoughts may include not entering the feared situation, leaving the feared situation, avoiding eye contact and thinking about unrelated things.

How Is Social Phobia Treated

Social phobia is treated with medication and psychotherapy. Depending on the patient's condition, psychotherapy alone or medication alone is sometimes used, but success is generally higher when both are used together. Treatment lasts 9–12 months on average.

The most commonly used form of therapy is cognitive behavioral therapy. In therapy, methods are used such as recognizing feelings of anxiety and the bodily reactions to that anxiety, understanding the thoughts that arise in anxiety-provoking situations and developing strategies to cope with them.