Phobias are a type of anxiety disorder Overview of Anxiety Disorders Everyone periodically experiences fear and anxiety. Fear is an emotional, physical, and behavioral response to an immediately recognizable external threat (eg, an intruder, a car spinning on... read more in which certain situations or objects make people fearful and anxious and cause them to avoid those things. The fear and anxiety are out of proportion to the actual threat (taking social norms into account). There are many specific phobias Specific Phobic Disorders Specific phobic disorders consist of persistent, unreasonable, intense fears (phobias) of specific situations, circumstances, or objects. The fears provoke anxiety and avoidance. The causes... read more .
Social phobia affects about 9% of women and 7% of men during any 12-month period, but the lifetime prevalence may be at least 13%. Men are more likely than women to also have avoidant personality disorder Avoidant Personality Disorder (AVPD) Avoidant personality disorder is characterized by the avoidance of social situations or interactions that involve risk of rejection, criticism, or humiliation. Diagnosis is by clinical criteria... read more , which can be seen as an anxiety disorder that is severe and persistent enough to affect the person's personality.
Fear and anxiety in people with social phobia often center on being embarrassed or humiliated if they fail to meet people's expectations or are scrutinized by other people in social interactions. Often, the concern is that their anxiety will be apparent through sweating, blushing, vomiting, or trembling (sometimes as a quavering voice) or that the ability to keep a train of thought or find words to express themselves will be lost. Usually, the same activity done alone causes no anxiety.
Situations in which social phobia is common include public speaking, acting in a theatrical performance, and playing a musical instrument. Other potential situations include eating with others, meeting new people, having a conversation, signing a document before witnesses, or using public bathrooms. A more generalized type of social phobia causes anxiety in a broad array of social situations.
Most people recognize that their fears are unreasonable and excessive.
Diagnosis of Social Phobia
Clinical criteria
Diagnosis is clinical based on criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5).
To meet the DSM-5 criteria for diagnosis, patients must have a
Marked, persistent (≥ 6 months) fear of or anxiety about one or more social situations in which they may be scrutinized by others
Fear must involve a negative evaluation by others (eg, that patients will be humiliated, embarrassed, or rejected or will offend others). In addition, all of the following should be present:
The same social situations nearly always trigger fear or anxiety.
Patients actively avoid the situation.
The fear or anxiety is out of proportion to the actual threat (taking into account sociocultural norms).
The fear, anxiety, and/or avoidance cause significant distress or significantly impair social or occupational functioning.
Also, the fear and anxiety cannot be more correctly characterized as a different mental disorder (eg, agoraphobia Agoraphobia Agoraphobia is fear of and anxiety about being in situations or places without a way to escape easily or in which help might not be available if intense anxiety develops. (See also Overview... read more , panic disorder Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder A panic attack is the sudden onset of a discrete, brief period of intense discomfort, anxiety, or fear accompanied by somatic and/or cognitive symptoms. Panic disorder is occurrence of repeated... read more , body dysmorphic disorder Body Dysmorphic Disorder Body dysmorphic disorder is characterized by preoccupation with ≥ 1 perceived defects in physical appearance that are not apparent or appear only slight to other people. The preoccupation with... read more ).
Treatment of Social Phobia
Cognitive-behavioral therapy
Sometimes a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)
Social phobia is almost always chronic, and treatment is needed.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is effective for social phobia. CBT involves teaching patients to recognize and control their distorted thinking and false beliefs as well as instructing them on exposure therapy Exposure therapy Specific phobic disorders consist of persistent, unreasonable, intense fears (phobias) of specific situations, circumstances, or objects. The fears provoke anxiety and avoidance. The causes... read more (controlled exposure to the anxiety-provoking situation).
SSRIs Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) Several drug classes and drugs can be used to treat depression: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) Serotonin modulators (5-HT2 blockers) Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors... read more and benzodiazepines are effective for social phobia, although benzodiazepines may be physically addictive and may also impair thinking and memory, faculties that are required for successful cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Beta-blockers may be used to reduce the increased heart rate, trembling, and sweating experienced by patients who are distressed by performing in public, but these drugs do not reduce anxiety itself.
