Social Phobia

hearty Anxiety Disorder accessible Phobia The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of noetic Disorders defines hearty apprehension inconvenience oneself as a marked and persistent fear of well-disposed or exertion situations in which embarrassment may occur (DSM). flick to these situations provokes an immediate anxiousness response much(prenominal) as a panic attack (DSM). In order to be diagnosed, fear or shunning of these situations must interfere signifi erecttly with the persons normal routines, occupational or academic functioning, fond activities or relationships, or a person must experience marked distress more or less having the phobia (DSM).In 400 B. C. , Hippocrates described a young man that displayed the symptoms of a amicable disquiet disorder. He d are not come in company for fear he should be misused, disgraced, overshoot himself in gesture or speeches, or be sick he thinks every man observes him (Burton 2009). Throughout the twentieth century, psychiatri sts described extremely shy patients as having fond phobia and social neurosis. British psychiatrists Isaac Marks and Michael Gelder proposed that social phobias be considered a distinct category separate from other elemental phobias (Hope, Heimberg, Juster, & Turk 2005).In 1980, the third random variable of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders introduced social phobia as an official psychiatric diagnosis. Social phobia was described as a fear of performance situations, but did not include fears of escaped situations such as casual conversations or social situations. Patients with broad fears were likely to be diagnosed with avoidant personality disorder, which could not be diagnosed in conjunction with social phobia (Weiner, Freedheim, Freedheim, Reynolds, Miller, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, & Nelson 2003).In 1985, psychiatrist Michael Liebowitz and psychologist Richard Heimberg initiated a call to go through for research on social pho bia (Weiner, Freedheim, Freedheim, Reynolds, Miller, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, & Nelson 2003). Due to the lack of research on social anguish disorder, the disorder came to be known by many as the neglected anxiety disorder (Weiner, Freedheim, Freedheim, Reynolds, Miller, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, & Nelson 2003).In 1987, the DSM-III-R introduces changes in some of the diagnostic criteria. To diagnosis social anxiety disorder the symptoms must cause intercession or marked distress rather than simply significant distress. It overly became possible to diagnose social phobia and avoidant personality disorder in the same patient (Weiner, Freedheim, Freedheim, Reynolds, Miller, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, & Nelson 2003).In 1994, the DSM-IV was released, and the disorder was defined as a marked and persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or possi ble scrutiny by others (Weiner, Freedheim, Freedheim, Reynolds, Miller, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, & Nelson 2003). The etiology of social anxiety disorder is largely attributed to genetics, and environmental factors. Family studies of individuals with social anxiety disorder show a higher incidence of the disorder than that tack in the general population, and a twin study found a concordance rate of 15. % in dizygotes and a 24. 4% concordance in monozygotes (Kedler, Neale, Kessler, Heath & Eaves 1992. ). Of course, thither is very little evidence that the genetic factors attributed to social anxiety disorder extend beyond the physical contact between environmental factors since there is very little evidence of neurobiological factors. Other than the fact that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are effective treatments for social anxiety disorder, there is little evidence to embroil dysfunction of the serotonergic system (Jefferson 2001. . The la ck of empirical data identifying neurobiological factors in causing the onset of social anxiety disorder is best stated in a quote by Dr. Murray B. Stein, a professor of Psychiatry and Family & Preventive Medicine at the University of California San Diego, It is clear that we have a long dash to go before we can speak with authority about the neurobiology of social phobia (Stein 1998. ) Therefore, environmental factors anticipate the most referred to etiological agent in the onset of social anxiety disorder.Parenting traits such as over control, lack of warmth or rejection, and overprotection are known to be associated with the etiology of social anxiety disorder (Brooks, & Schmidt 2008). Some individuals with social anxiety disorder associate its onset with a specific social event or interaction that was particularly embarrassing or humiliating. Such a circumstance could be considered an adverse conditioning stimulus (Jefferson 2001). There is further evidence that poor results from quality of life assessments can be attributed to social anxiety disorder.Individuals with major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder have substantially poorer quality of life than community comparison cohorts. In many cases, the quality-of-life impairments associated with these anxiety disorders are equal to or greater than those seen with other chronic medical disorders (Rapaport, Clary, Fayyad, & Endicott 2005). Social anxiety disorder is a common disorder. The lifetime prevalence of SAD is somewhere between 7% and 13% in westerly countries (Furmark 2002).Furthermore, epidemiological studies have demonstrated that social anxiety disorder is the most widespread of all the anxiety disorders, and the third most common psychiatric disorder after major depression and alcohol outcry (Brooks, & Schmidt 2008). Therapy and medication are the most common treatments for social anxiety disorder. Cognitive behavioral thera py is the most apply form of psychotherapy, and has been found to be successful in seventy-five percent of patients (Social anxiety disorder, 2009).This figure of therapy focuses on reminding the patient that it is their own thoughts, not other people or situations, that determine how they behave or react (Social anxiety disorder, 2009). In therapy, the patient is taught how to recognize and change the negative thoughts they have about themselves (Social anxiety disorder, 2009). Exposure therapy is also a common form of treatment for social anxiety disorder. In this type of therapy, the patient is gradually exposed to situations that they fear most (Social anxiety disorder, 2009).Exposure therapy enables the patient to learn coping techniques, and develop the courage to face them (Social anxiety disorder, 2009). The patient is also exposed to role-playing with emphasis on developing the skills to cope with different social situations in a unattackable environment (Social anxiety disorder, 2009). There are several medications used to treat social anxiety disorder. These medications are typically serotonin reuptake inhibitors including Paxil, Zoloft, and Prozac (Social anxiety disorder, 2009).A serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) drug such as Venlafaxine may also be used as a first-line therapy for social anxiety disorder (Social anxiety disorder, 2009). Typically, the patient begins with a low dosage, and is gradually increase to a full dosage, to minimize side effects (Social anxiety disorder, 2009). It may take up to three months of treatment before the patient begins to have noticeable improvement of symptoms (Social anxiety disorder, 2009). Social anxiety disorder remains a largely misunderstood, and under researched, disorder.Momentum through increased clinical research, in depth understanding through treatment, and stricter guidelines for proper diagnosis are positive indications that Psychology has recognise the debilitating effects of social anxiety disorder on patients. In time, clinicians will be wear prepared to treat patients suffering from this disorder, and will improve the lives of patients. References Brooks, C. A. , & Schmidt, L. A. (2008). Social anxiety disorder a refresh of environmental risk factors. Neuropsychiatr Disease and Treatment, 4(1), Retrieved from http//www. ncbi. nlm. ih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC2515922/ Burton, Robert. (2009). The Anatomy of melancholy. Charlottesville, VA The University of Virginia. Furmark T. (2002). Social phobia overview of community surveys, Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 105, Retrieved from http//www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/11939957 Hope, Debra, Heimberg, Richard, Juster, Harlan, & Turk, Cynthia. (2005). Managing social anxiety. New York, NY Oxford Univ Pr. Jefferson, J. W. (2001). Physicians postgraduate press, inc.. Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 3(1), Retrieved from http//www. cbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC181152/ Kedler, K. S. , Neale, M. C. , Kessler, R. C. , Heath, A. C. , and Eaves, L. J. (1992) The genetic epidemiology of phobias in women the interrelationship of agoraphobia, social phobia, situational phobia, and simple phobia. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry. Rapaport, M. H. , Clary, C, Fayyad, R, & Endicott, J. (2005). Quality-of-life impairment in depressive and anxiety disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162(6), Retrieved from http//www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/9861470 Social anxiety disorder (social phobia). (2009). Mayoclinic. com.Retrieved (2010, April 25), Retrieved from http//www. mayoclinic. com/health/social-anxiety-disorder/DS00595/DSECTION=treatments%2Dand%2Ddrugs Stein, M. B. (1998). neurobiological perspectives on social phobia from affiliation to zoology. Biological Psychiatry, 44(12), Retrieved from http//www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/9861470 Weiner, Irving, Freedheim, Donald, Freedheim, Donald, Reynolds, William, Miller, Gloria, Gallagher, Michela, Nelson, Randy, Gallagher, Michela, Nelson, Randy, Gallagher, Michela, & Nelson, Randy. (2003). Handbook of psychology. Hoboken, NJ John Wiley & Sons Inc.