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Symptoms
People
with social anxiety disorder usually experience significant
emotional distress in the following situations:
- Being
introduced to other people
- Being
teased or criticized
- Being
the center of attention
- Being
watched while doing something
- Meeting
people in authority ("important people")
- Most
social encounters, especially with strangers
- Going
around the room (or table) in a circle and having to say
something
- Interpersonal
relationships, whether friendships or romantic
relationships
This
list is certainly not a complete list of symptoms -- other
feelings have been associated with social anxiety as
well.
The
physiological manifestations that accompany social anxiety may
include intense fear, racing heart, turning red or blushing,
excessive sweating, dry throat and mouth, trembling,
swallowing with difficulty, and muscle twitches, particularly
about the face and neck.
Constant,
intense anxiety that does not go away is the most common
feature.
People
with social anxiety disorder know that their anxiety is
irrational and does not make "head" (i.e.,
cognitive) sense. Nevertheless, "knowing" something
is not the same thing as "believing" and
"feeling" something.
Thus,
for people with social anxiety, thoughts and feelings of
anxiety persist and show no signs of going away -- despite the
fact that socially-anxious people "face their fears"
every day of their lives.
Only
the appropriate therapy works to alleviate social anxiety
disorder, the largest anxiety disorder, and the one that few
people know anything about.
Living With Social Anxiety
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