Social Anxiety Disorder Essay

In the human body, anxiety is cued as a reaction to adverse reaction due to a stressor; this is a normal part of the human process. When the induced anxiety is abnormally severe and prolonged and occurs in the absence of stress, is when anxiety becomes a disorder. Anxiety disorders include many symptoms and are often coupled with major depression. Although the majority of anxiety disorders are produced based on an individual’s genetic material, other influences exists environmentally that can contribute to an individual’s state of mental instability. Early diagnosis can help reduce the tensions and encourage a life less stressful. One common type of anxiety disorder is known as S.A.D or Social Anxiety Disorder.

Social anxiety disorder stems from the persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations. The concept of social anxiety includes a plethora of phenomena that range from shyness to more or less isolated social fears. Those with the disorder often experience anxiety and avoidance of a variety of social situations like: parties, public speaking, and dating. Most individuals who are socially anxious possess a fear of being judged negatively and/or acting in ways that would be seen as humiliating or embarrassing. The most common symptoms of social anxiety are palpitations, dizziness, numbness, abdominal distress, dry mouth, sweating, and blushing. Individuals with social anxiety are usually worried that these symptoms will be obvious to others and lead these people to think that they are extremely anxious to the exclusion of more benign possibilities. This preference for unfavorable explanations represents a general pattern of negative, catastrophic thinking. While many other anxiety disorders are known for these...

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Medications are also commonly used to treat social anxiety disorder. The first-line pharmacological treatments for social anxiety disorder are known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and consist of the following: paroxetine, sertraline, fluvoxamine, fluoxetine, citalopram, and escitalopram. These medications have demonstrated efficacy in placebo-controlled trials and have more favorable side-effects than other social anxiety medications. Benzodiazepines, such as clonazepam and alprazolam are another class of drugs that are commonly used in the treatment of social anxiety. The use of benzodiazepines has several drawbacks and potential rebound of anxiety after withdrawal. Benzodiazepines also have the potential of abuse and are not recommended for individuals with substance abuse history.