Sammy P Marks
Marvin Ridge HS
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Do you have anxiety? Anxiety affects many people in many different ways. One of the
most common anxiety disorders is social anxiety disorder, which affects around approximately
fifteen million Americans. According to Jerilyn Ross (2008) “Social anxiety disorder is when
somebody has an intense, persistent and irrational fear of social or performance situations.”
15 million adults are affected by Social anxiety disorder everyday in the United States of
America. That is around 7% of the population in America. Social anxiety disorder is just as
common in men as it is in women. The usual age a person is diagnosed with SAD in the U.S is
13 years old. In a ADAA survey from 2007, the results showed that 36% of humans with SAD
feel and have symptoms for over 10 years before they attempt to get treatment.
Pollsters (people who conduct or analyze opinionated polls) created a poll and surveyed
578 different people the suffer from anxiety. Out of those 578 people, 276 of those people deal
with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and 287 of the 578 people have social anxiety. Out of all the
people with the disorder, around 75 percent of the people said that anxiety changed and affected
their daily life and ability to do normal things. Approximately 69 percent of the people told the
pollsters that they did not want other people to think differently about them or look at them like
they are crazy. Also, 58 percent of the people with the disorder said that they were embarrassed
of the condition. Many of the surveyed people told the pollsters that they treated or currently
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treating the disorder. 59 percent of those people who have or are getting treatment said it is
improving their daily lives and bringing a positive impact on relationships. Another 39 percent of
the people who got help said they made the decision to get help because they heard that the
different treatments for anxiety can work and help. Other important information gained from this
survey are as followed. 34 percent of the 578 people surveyed said that anxiety causes them to be
involved in serious fights with other people close to them. 77 percent of the people said that their
disorder in some form or fashion has negatively hurt their relationship with a significant other.
35 percent said that because of the social anxiety, it made them not be able to be intimate or
avoid intimacy completely. 24 percent of the people surveyed told the pollsters that because of
their anxiety, people close to them lose respect or do not respect them. Many of those surveyed
reported that they did not have many or any close friends, about 55 percent shared that
information. 66 percent of those surveyed said that they have had some type of misunderstanding
with their friend(s) and about 50 percent said that they did not even tell their friends about their
condition and side effects. Over 60 percent of the people reportedly said that they do not keep in
touch with their friends or did not keep in touch with them. Most of them said they would not
Social anxiety disorder comes with a variety of side effects and symptoms. Social phobia
can make somebody feel extremely anxious about interacting with other people and it will be
difficult to talk to others. This disorder makes a person quite self-conscious in any type of group
and consistently make them worry about being humiliated, embarrassed, rejected, or even fearful
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of making someone else mad or upset. Social anxiety can cause someone to have a constant fear
that people are talking about them or judging them behind their back, this is known as paranoia.
Another symptom is the stress and worrying for long periods of time about an activity
coming up with other people involved. A significant symptom of social phobia is that it is hard to
meet and make new friends and being able to keep those friends. A common side effect and
feeling is nausea or a gross feeling in your stomach when around other people. Social anxiety
can limit a person from going places because of what people are doing and where they are. There
are some physical side effects and symptoms as well. Those consist of rapid heartbeat, tight
feeling in the throat region, perspiring, blushing, blurriness, shaky, and can cause speech
disorders. One of the largest problems people with social anxiety disorder suffer from is
depression.
Depression and social anxiety are commonly found to be associated with one another.
Two frequently asked questions are, “Can depression cause people to have social anxiety
disorder?” and “Can having social anxiety set up a person for depression?” These questions are
asked because people wonder why they feel depressed when they have social anxiety,and other
people wonder why they get anxious when they are depressed. Having anxiety and constant
worries because of being around others can cause someone to feel down all the time and want to
isolate themselves and/ or no longer take part in activities and local events. In the same situation,
when people lose interest in life, it can cause them to be scared and anxious when around others
for a countless amount of reasons. Studies have shown that there's a powerful connection
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between social anxiety disorder and becoming depressed or having depression at some point later
in life. Research has shown that you are six times more likely to be diagnosed and affected by
depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disorder if you have social anxiety disorder. You are more at
danger of taking on these secondary disorders in relationship to how many different social
phobias you have. A study in 2001, (in Primary Care Companion Journal of Clinical Psychiatry:
Psychotherapy Casebook) went on to show more relationships between social anxiety disorder
(SAD) and depression. The results of the study were that if you have SAD and depression, then
you are at jeopardy of more problems because of the deadly combination. The problems that
SAD and depression create when someone has both is an enhanced chance at problems with
alcohol and other drugs, and problems with being impaired in a social environment and being
able to function properly. Another issue depression and SAD cause when combined is a decrease
in motivation and care to fix an issue and seek treatment. A big problem with having both SAD
and depression is that it increases a risk of suicide. Another study in 2001, (the Archives of
General Psychiatry) showed that even though getting social anxiety disorder at a young age has
connection to developing depression later on in life, the study proved that not every person who
is diagnosed with SAD becomes depressed in their life. When someone at an early age has social
anxiety disorder, they are able to reduce their chances of getting depression later in life if they
seek proper treatment and care. People with SAD will withdraw from society because of a fear of
what other people think and being judged by others. People that have depression will withdraw
themselves from society and social interactions because it isn’t fun to them and they don’t enjoy
themselves. Social anxiety disorder does not change or affect your ability to have fun, just your
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ability to interact correctly and normally. Depression rather makes you never think you can have
Typically, depression is what people go to the doctors to get help for. Many people do not
know that the problem really could be social anxiety disorder (SAD). People who suffer from
SAD, usually do not open up about the issues they experience and also do not know that social
anxiety is a treatable disorder. As a result of most people not knowing that social anxiety is a real
thing or treatable, majority of the people who have SAD, do not seek help and treatment unless
the person has other problems that they go to the doctors to get help for. Even then, social
anxiety disorder can go ignored and misdiagnosed. Luckily, many of the cures and fixes
prescribed for depression, also are efficient in caring for SAD. Two different treatments used for
depression that work for SAD also are, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and
If someone is diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, they will have many different ways
to get treatment and help. There are three key types of treatment. The three treatments are
therapy, medications, and support physically and mentally. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
is a commonly method used for helping SAD. CBT can help mentally and control some thoughts
and can help treat the physical symptoms that come along with social anxiety. Another form of
therapy is exposure therapy which is a very successful way to help SAD. Exposure therapy is
directed towards going head to head with a fear or phobia. Exposure therapy consists of
practicing new coping skills and collectively taking baby steps towards the things that cause a
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person's fear. Examples of exposure therapy are, giving a friend a call, talking to random people,
going to a job interview, and speaking in the public. The method of exposure therapy is greatly
effective and has a big impact on people's lives and ability to face one's fears.
Another method for helping treat social anxiety disorder are medications. Medications
that act as antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and beta-blockers can be used to help SAD which
treat social anxiety disorder help fix problems with school, work, and other daily adventures.
Some common medications used in treating SAD are Zoloft, Effexor XR, Luvox CR, and Paxil.
A third treatment for social anxiety disorder is support. There are numerous different
types of support. Any sort of support is beneficial to someone suffering from SAD. Support
groups are helpful especially when the group has other people who are going through the same
troubles and problems as yourself. The support you receive could be from support groups you
have met in person or support groups online, they are both a huge help to the treatment of SAD.
There are many places to go on the internet to support social anxiety and to learn more
about social anxiety. The “Andrew Kukes Foundation for Social Anxiety” is a foundation that
raises money for social anxiety and helps spread awareness on SAD. Their goal is to inform
everyone of social anxiety and the diagnosis and treatment for SAD. Also, there is a National
Social Anxiety Center. The NSAC has multiple clinics located throughout the country. They also
have a website that can help and give you insight on social anxiety. The National Social Anxiety
In conclusion, many people in the United States suffer from social anxiety disorder along
with many of its side effects and symptoms. Millions of Americans affected by SAD are seeking
help to treat the disorder. Social anxiety disorder can lead to other disorders and issues for a
References
Andrew Kukes Foundation for Social Anxiety -. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2017, from
http://akfsa.org/
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml
Cuncic, A. (n.d.). The Link Between Social Anxiety Disorder and Depression. Retrieved
://www.verywell.com/social-anxiety-and-depression-go-handinhand-3024695
https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics
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List of Social Anxiety Disorder Medications (12 Compared). (n.d.). Retrieved November 24,
National Social Anxiety Center. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2017, from
http://nationalsocialanxietycenter.com/
Reinberg, S., & Reporter, H. (1970, April 10). 15 Million Americans Suffer From Social Anxiety
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthday/story?id=4621523
Social Anxiety Disorder. (2017, March 29). Retrieved November 29, 2017, from
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/social-anxiety-disorder