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A SOCIAL
PRISONER
YOU MIGHT
BE A PRISONER WHO IS LOCKED INSIDE (YOURSELF
AND YOUR HOME) BECAUSE OF A SOCIAL PHOBIA.
SEEMINGLY, YOU ARE THE WARDEN AND THE GUARD;
YOU HOLD THE KEY. THIS IS TRUE-BUT NOT THE
COMPLETE STORY. YOU NEED HELP & HOPE.
Read the following
article and then look for spiritual help
back here on this website.
click here for God's Answer To Fear
Facts
about Social Phobia
from the National Institute of Mental
Health.
Social phobia, also called social anxiety, is a
disorder characterized by overwhelming
anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in
everyday social situations. People with
social phobia have a persistent, intense,
and chronic fear of being watched and judged
by others and of being embarrassed or
humiliated by their own actions. Their fear
may be so severe that it interferes with
work or school - and other ordinary
activities. While many people with social
phobia recognize that their fear of being
around people may be excessive or
unreasonable, they are unable to overcome
it. They often worry for days or weeks in
advance of a dreaded situation.
Social phobia can be limited to only one
type of situation - such as a fear of
speaking in formal or informal situations,
or eating or drinking in front of others -
or, in its most severe form, may be so broad
that a person experiences symptoms almost
anytime they are around other people. Social
phobia can be very debilitating - it may
even keep people from going to work or
school on some days. Many people with this
illness have a hard time making and keeping
friends.
Physical symptoms often accompany the
intense anxiety of social phobia and include
blushing, profuse sweating, trembling, and
other symptoms of anxiety, including
difficulty talking and nausea or other
stomach discomfort. These visible symptoms
heighten the fear of disapproval and the
symptoms themselves can become an additional
focus of fear. Fear of symptoms can create a
vicious cycle: as people with social phobia
worry about experiencing the symptoms, the
greater their chances of developing the
symptoms.. Social phobia often runs in
families and may be accompanied by
depression or alcohol dependence.
For more information, go to
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
REFERENCES
National Institute of Mental Health
Publication No. OM-99 4171 (Revised)
Printed September 1999
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/ |
