What is Social Anxiety Disorder?
It is perfectly normal to feel nervous or emotional in some
social situations. When we go to a first date or make a presentation in front
of many people, we usually feel that unpleasant sensation of "butterflies
in the stomach". However, for some people, even regular daily social interactions
can cause very strong anxiety and become almost impossible to bear. These
people get to do all sorts of things and look for all kinds of excuses to avoid
social situations.
Social anxiety disorder is a chronic mental health problem
that involves anxiety and an irrational fear of situations and activities where
certain individuals think that they are noticed, evaluated and/ or judged by
others. They often imagine scenarios in which they are being laughed about and
humiliated.
Social anxiety is a common mental health problem that affects
about 13% of the population. Suffering from social anxiety is very different
from being shy. Shy people are not afraid that they will be humiliated or put
in an awkward situation, and shyness does not block their normal daily
activities.
Characteristics associated with social anxiety include low
self-esteem, difficulty in communicating assertively, excessive self-criticism,
hypersensitivity to critical remarks coming from other people, poor social
skills etc.
If you feel like you suffer from this discorder, look to anxiety treatment Denver specialists to help you get your life back on a positive track.