Social phobia When shyness makes you ill

Social phobia as a disease: When shyness determines life

27/02/2012

Up to ten percent of children and adolescents in Germany suffer from a social phobia according to a scientific study. For those affected, fears sometimes mean massive restrictions in everyday training and working life. The „social phobia“ is the most common mental disorder in childhood and adolescence.

According to a study by the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, between five and ten percent of children and adolescents in Germany suffer from a social phobia. Thus, the social anxiety is the most common mental disorder in adolescence. Researchers of the joint research network Psychotherapy „Sopho.net“ Now try interdisciplinary with the help of a comparative therapy study to find out more about causes and treatment options.

If adolescents or young adults suffer from severe social anxiety, this condition is called social phobia. Those concerned are afraid to do or say something embarrassing or embarrassing when other people are around them. Due to the sensory anxiety and accompanying physical discomfort, they avoid facing anxiety situations. For many it is unbearable, for example, to give a lecture at school or just one „easy conversation“ to lead with classmates. Therefore, if not treated, the disease has a chronic character and has a manifesting effect on everyday life. Minor failures or anxiety attacks confirm those affected in their avoidance strategy, they withdraw more and more.

Physical symptoms triggered by anxiety
„Adults or adolescents suffering from social phobia experience pronounced physical symptoms in anxiety“, says social therapist and pedagogue Gritli Bertram. The „Fear of fear“ often amplifies the complaints. During the attacks, visible symptoms such as sweating, palpitations, trembling, dizziness, derealization, depersonalization, heartache, headache, diarrhea, gagging, even vomiting and inner restlessness. „Many are silent and appear frozen“, says Bertram.

Different triggers of a social phobia
The triggers for the fault can be different. „There are a number of risk factors. One of them is an innate behavioral inhibition.“, explains Lena Krebs, spokeswoman for the network „Sopho.net“ opposite the „dpa“. Children are remarkably shy when dealing with other people at a young age. If they are exposed to new situations, they withdraw. Does it come to a fear situation „they react with solidification“, says cancer. A second risk factor is traumatic experiences with other people. The children experience such traumas when, for example, they are teased, humiliated or excluded. „We speak of one bio-psycho-social model, that is, disposition, psyche and personal experiences play together.“

When a social phobia is a mental disorder
A distinction should be made between shyness and clinically diagnosed disease. Not everyone who is shy or shy has a social phobia. It depends on how long that „to retire“ and how much affected persons experience limitations in their daily lives due to their fears. Accordingly, they are „Duration and weight“ crucial. Cancer: „A disorder occurs when the anxiety is so severe that it causes distress and affects the quality of life for at least six months.“ Social phobias are sometimes not discovered in time or perceived as a mental disorder, because reserved and shy children as „adapted and pleasant“ be perceived. Children with ADHD syndrome, for example, are disturbed by classroom instruction and catch their eye with their sometimes vivacious idioms. This is not the case with social philosophers.

Serious consequences for those affected
The consequences of a social phobia can be just as serious for those affected. Because children usually retire early, they do not learn important social skills. They break, for example leave school, do no vocational training or do not enter into close ties. This can lead to further illnesses such as depression or other anxiety disorders, the expert emphasizes. Some try to overcome their fears with alcohol or drugs and then quickly become addicted. The later the disease is diagnosed and treated, the more it manifests itself.

Different forms of therapy
Help can be given to children and adolescents in different forms of therapy. „There are a total of two forms of therapy that assume different basic assumptions.“ In cognitive behavioral therapy, therapists believe that „faulty information processing“ to keep the fears alive. For example, if the student is not heard by other classmates or teachers, the person concerned may assume that his or her contributions to the words are not considered interesting and that their person is rejected as such. Accordingly, he reports even less in the classroom or stops his speeches altogether. In behavioral therapy, the patient reports on the situation experienced. As the session progresses, the therapist asks to review his assumption. Exercises should then be followed by corrective experiences so that the anxiety can be overcome in future situations.

Psycho-dynamic therapy explores the underlying causes that trigger anxiety. The therapists assume that, „That fear is the result of unresolved conflicts in dealing with others“. The fear could be from one „unconscious inner conflict between desire and reality“. During the therapy time an attempt is made to solve this conflict. Both therapies can be combined with autogenic training, muscle relaxation and aromatherapy.

Subjects sought for comparative study
The research group „Sopho.net“ In the context of a study, it now wants to find out which patient group is most suitable for which type of therapy. However, the efficacy of both therapies has been well documented. Affected parties can contact the research project to participate in the evaluation. (Sb)

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Picture: Rainer Sturm