What causes social anxiety disorder?

SOCIAL anxiety is anxiety (worry, apprehension, doubt, fear, emotional discomfort) about social situations and interactions with other people. It often happens early in childhood as a result of childhood experiences, but may go unnoticed until adolescence or adulthood. Overcoming social anxiety can be relatively easy for some, and very tough for others. The reasons are not yet very clear: It can be linked to shyness or other temperamental or emotional factors, but its real nature is still the subject of ongoing study and research.

What Is Social Anxiety Disorder? What Causes Social Anxiety Disorder?

Social anxiety disorder or social anxiety is an excessive emotional discomfort, anxiety, fear or worry about social situations. The individual is exceptionally worried about social situations, being evaluated or scrutinized by other people - there is a heightened fear of interactions with others. Social anxiety disorder is sometimes referred to as social phobia. A phobia is an irrational fear of certain situations, objects or environments. A person with social anxiety disorder typically is excessively shyness in social situations - this fear can sometimes have a debilitating effect on personal and professional relationships.

It is is a chronic (ongoing) mental health condition that causes person to feel intense anxiety or fear of activities or situations in which she believes that others are watching her or judging her. More than simply having an introverted nature or a preference for solitude, suffers of social anxiety disorder may experience actual physical symptoms when forced to confront their fears.

The Cause of Social Anxiety Disorder: The Behaviour You Use, For Coping With Painful Social Memories

The cause of social anxiety disorder is the behaviour you use, as a means for coping with the painful memories of some social experiences from your past. In the very beginning of your problems with social anxiety, a social event upset you. This event stimulated your central nervous system so much, that ever since it happened, you've been behaving in ways that keep you away from letting it happen again. THAT is what causes social phobia. By treading on eggshells to avoid that uncomfortable stimulation, you've accidentally created social anxiety disorder by yourself.

Quick Definitions

Shyness, social anxiety, social phobia...these terms are often used interchangeably, although their meanings are often quite different and can lead to confusion and misunderstanding. The following definitions are provided to clarify how each term is used in this article. Anxiety is a feeling of uneasiness, apprehension, and/or dread about a real or imagined future event. It is tied to a sense that these unpleasant events are at least partially unpredictable and uncontrollable, and therefore accompanied by an uncomfortable level of uncertainty.

In addition to isolation, sufferers may turn to substance abuse, disordered eating, other addictions, or even self-mutilation to cope with stressful situations that they cannot avoid. So it's important to always seek the advice of a doctor or mental health professional if the fear of strangers is getting in the way of your ability to enjoy a fulfilling life.

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