Social anxiety disorder differs from shyness
Profuse sweating, nausea, trembling, difficulty talking among symptoms of illness
Dana Kastenson
Issue date: 2/13/06 Section: Money/Health
Walking into a room full of strangers, your muscles tense up. You can't speak, and you just want to run away from the situation. This is an example of what experts now call social anxiety disorder, according to the National Institution of Mental Health.
UW-Eau Claire associate professor Marie Crothers of the psychology department said this disorder was just recently termed a mental illness.
However, the difference between social anxiety and plain shyness, Crothers said, is the intensity of feelings a person will experience.
Some symptoms are profuse sweating, nausea, trembling and difficulty talking, Crothers said. Excessive fear of social situations can cause people to worry about how people will judge them, and they may also feel embarrassed by how they present themselves to a group of people. She said everyday functions may even be disrupted.
"It can even be to the degree of a panic attack," Crothers said.
According to NIMH, over 5.3 million Americans are affected by social anxiety disorder, making it the third most common mental health problem in the nation.
"The person recognizes they have a problem, but the fear is still there," Crothers said. "They have a hard time reasoning."
Some people, even after going through a social situation, will still worry for weeks about how they conducted themselves, according to NIMH.
As for the causes of social anxiety, genetics play a part in it. However, most cases have been associated with other mental illnesses such as depression and other anxieties, and problems can start as early as childhood or adolescence. When it comes to gender, both men and women are equally susceptible, according to NIMH.
People with this disorder can take medicines and go to counseling services.
Crothers said counseling is the best way to alleviate the symptoms.
"It allows the person to develop new skills when dealing with social situations," she said. "They can figure out how the problem got started and use positive self talk
to help."
If a friend or loved one has symptoms, Crothers said there are ways to help.
"Accompany them when they are in social situations, (and) say reassuring things," she said. "But don't try to minimize the problem by telling them it's bad."
Freshman Val Freedman hasn't heard much about the disorder.
"There may be shy people who don't realize that they have it," she said.
However, freshman Sarah Lowe knows from experience how people can suffer from the disorder. She said she has seen people experience social anxiety in some of her classes.
"It doesn't surprise me that much that so many people are susceptible to it," Lowe said. "We want to make such a good impression on everyone."
UW-Eau Claire associate professor Marie Crothers of the psychology department said this disorder was just recently termed a mental illness.
However, the difference between social anxiety and plain shyness, Crothers said, is the intensity of feelings a person will experience.
Some symptoms are profuse sweating, nausea, trembling and difficulty talking, Crothers said. Excessive fear of social situations can cause people to worry about how people will judge them, and they may also feel embarrassed by how they present themselves to a group of people. She said everyday functions may even be disrupted.
"It can even be to the degree of a panic attack," Crothers said.
According to NIMH, over 5.3 million Americans are affected by social anxiety disorder, making it the third most common mental health problem in the nation.
"The person recognizes they have a problem, but the fear is still there," Crothers said. "They have a hard time reasoning."
Some people, even after going through a social situation, will still worry for weeks about how they conducted themselves, according to NIMH.
As for the causes of social anxiety, genetics play a part in it. However, most cases have been associated with other mental illnesses such as depression and other anxieties, and problems can start as early as childhood or adolescence. When it comes to gender, both men and women are equally susceptible, according to NIMH.
People with this disorder can take medicines and go to counseling services.
Crothers said counseling is the best way to alleviate the symptoms.
"It allows the person to develop new skills when dealing with social situations," she said. "They can figure out how the problem got started and use positive self talk
to help."
If a friend or loved one has symptoms, Crothers said there are ways to help.
"Accompany them when they are in social situations, (and) say reassuring things," she said. "But don't try to minimize the problem by telling them it's bad."
Freshman Val Freedman hasn't heard much about the disorder.
"There may be shy people who don't realize that they have it," she said.
However, freshman Sarah Lowe knows from experience how people can suffer from the disorder. She said she has seen people experience social anxiety in some of her classes.
"It doesn't surprise me that much that so many people are susceptible to it," Lowe said. "We want to make such a good impression on everyone."