The 2 types of social phobia

Surely we know someone or we ourselves have some kind of repulsion or fear of some bug or animal considered unpleasant, such as spiders or rats, or perhaps this feeling of distress appears in some kind of concrete situation such as climbing a very tall building. However, phobias go beyond a simple feeling of revulsion, fear or anguish.

It is defined as a phobia to the intense and debilitating fear that is experienced in front of something regardless of whether it is an object, situation or thing. As we said, phobias are not just a feeling of fear and they differ from it in their intensity, becoming paralyzing and in their persistence, they always occur.

People who suffer from phobias usually do so for a long period of time, usually feelings of anguish and all the anxious symptomatology that produces the phobia are present throughout the life of the person, if they are not treated. Although there are common phobias, phobias can develop in front of any object, place, situation, feeling or animal. Some people may experience more than one phobia.

Social phobia is a type of anxiety disorder. People with social phobia experience extreme and persistent fear of social situations. It does not always manifest itself in the same way, some people with social phobia will avoid events while others feel great anxiety in the face of certain situations, not always same. In this article we will first see what social phobia is and what types of social phobias exist, to end with a precise description of its symptoms.

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What is social phobia?

A phobia is, by definition, an anxiety disorder that develops when a person has a persistent, exaggerated, or unrealistic sense of panic about a situation or object. In the case of social phobia, it appears in situations involving other people. Social phobia is also known as social anxiety or social anxiety disorder.

It is natural and common that speaking in public or sitting at a table full of strangers causes a little feeling of anxiety or anguish. In addition, many people, due to their more introverted nature, may have difficulty facing some situations. social, since they feel uncomfortable or speak less than the rest, and are shy and insecure in front of others. the rest; These types of feelings and sensations are completely normal and do not indicate any type of social phobia.

However, people who suffer from social phobia they show a real panic before this type of situations that directly involve other people or an audience. It is quite possible for them to worry about an event long before it happens and continue to worry days after it has happened. People with social phobia hide a fear of being judged, criticized, ridiculed or humiliated by others. This leads them to experience anxiety in situations where they feel watched or have to be the center of attention.

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The main types of social phobia

As we have seen, we can speak of social phobia when a persistent fear of one or more social situations occurs in a person. person with social phobia you are afraid of acting in front of others in a way that causes you to be embarrassed or feel humiliated, but this fear is not rational.

Phobias can be classified into two main groups. Specific phobias are, as the word says, phobias that are suffered before an object or situation concrete, such as the phobia of animals, the phobia of flying or the environment (water, darkness, storms, etc.). They usually begin in childhood or adolescence, and symptoms may lessen as you age.

The second type of phobias are complex phobias, they usually have a greater impact on people's lives and usually develop in adulthood, two of the most common complex phobias are agoraphobia and phobia complex society.

Within social phobia, two subtypes have been identified.: a social phobia characterized by fear of specific public situations, known as specific social phobia, which Like the other specific phobias, it occurs in the face of specific activities, which in his case involve other people. And complex social phobia, which is characterized by the pathological fear of facing multiple different social situations.

In the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), specific social phobias of public speaking are correspond to "non-generalized social phobia", while complex social phobia is diagnosed as "social phobia". widespread".

Specific social phobias or non-generalized social phobia

Within the specific social phobias, they can usually be anxiety triggers, situations like:

• Attend parties or large events.
• Public speaking
• Start or maintain a conversation with strangers
• Participate in group conversations
• Express opinions or needs
• Meet new people
• Use public restrooms or other common spaces
• Go shopping or carry out other types of activities in which you have to interact with people.
• Talk to a boss or someone in a position of authority
• Talking on phone
• eating in public
• Perform an activity in public such as singing or reading.
• Situations in which they are the center of attention, such as birthdays or weddings.

Complex social phobia or generalized social phobia

In complex social phobia, the person may experience anxiety in a multitude of different social situations. People with social phobia may experience anxiety even before the event has taken place. After the event, the person can replay their conversation endlessly to see what went wrong, or went wrong, making the replay a kind of endless torture. The constant reflection that derives from social failure can cause a multitude of negative feelings to appear, and contribute to strengthening the problem of avoiding social situations in the future.

Unlike specific social phobia, the complex form is usually more disabling, occurs more frequently and its symptoms are more persistent over time. Also, the complex form has a lower chance of natural recovery over the course of life and carries a higher risk of comorbidity and deterioration. Effective treatments are needed that can manage not only complex social phobia, but also the conditions that can accompany it.

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Prevalence and origin of social phobias

Social phobias tend to be underdiagnosed and undertreated, as sometimes the line between fear of something and phobia is fine. But as we have said, phobia is a real disorder.

According to the MSD manual (widely recognized medical guide), around 13% of people may suffer from some type of social phobia throughout their lives. The prevalence of the disorder is 7% in men and 9% in the female population.

Social phobia is often related to feelings of discomfort around others in childhood and becomes more apparent in adolescence. But its onset as such does not usually occur until after puberty, between the ages of 10 and 14 in girls and between 12 and 16 in boys.

When exposed to an intimidating social situation, people with social phobia may experience extreme anxiety.

Therefore, the person with social phobia will avoid situations or, if forced to face them, he will suffer a great anxiety beyond the acceptable limits, accompanied by a great sensation of distress. People who suffer from this type of disorder are aware of the irrationality of their reaction and response exaggerated in the face of the situation, but feel unable to change or control feelings or behavior associated. The phobia, like other types of anxiety disorders, significantly interferes with the development of the person's normal life, including work, education, family and social life.

The fear or avoidance felt by social phobia is not due to another type of general medical condition or to the avoidance mechanism that derives from an addiction, as in the case of alcohol, where it is seen as a universal solution and means that we do not face problems. In the case of substance abuse, this type of avoidance would rather have an adaptive explanation in which the human being tries to avoid unpleasant situations or emotions.

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Symptoms of social phobias

There are a series of symptoms of psychological origin, such as repetitive negative thoughts, they worry about sweating, blushing, vomiting or showing other symptoms that make their anxiety visible. They are also assailed by feelings of doubt and uncertainty, when faced with situations they worry that they will not be able to get to express themselves in an adequate way by not knowing what words to use or continue with the thread of their speech and be lost.

The most common physical symptoms experienced by people with social phobia within intense anxiety are: nausea, sweaty palms, stomach pain, dry throat, fast heartbeat. In some cases, these symptoms turn into a full blown panic attack.

In the course of the dreaded social situation, people with social phobia show great difficulty concentrating on something other than the physical feelings of anxiety and negative thoughts, even anticipating negative comments from the public. They feel an overwhelming urge to flee the situation. As we have said before, people are aware that these reactions and feelings are irrational and disproportionate.

Social phobia can greatly affect the daily lives of people who suffer from it, it can:

• Cause self-esteem issues and affect self-confidence.
• Making people feel extremely isolated or separate from others.
• Due to avoidant behavior, hinder the development and maintenance of social and intimate relationships.
• Interfering with work life or other aspects of daily life, such as shopping or dining out.

If left untreated, social phobia can seriously affect quality of life. Some of the most common complications can be the abuse of alcohol or other substances to cope with anxiety during events social problems, misuse of prescription and nonprescription drugs, reduced educational or employment opportunities, depression, and thoughts suicidal.