Many people are affected by social anxiety or social phobia. In the United States, around 19.2 million people have social anxiety. Of the different kinds of mental illnesses, social anxiety is the third most common in the United States. The good news is different methods can beat social anxiety.

Before treatment can be done, you must first know what social anxiety is. Social anxiety is defined as an unreasonable and excessive fear of social events. What causes social anxiety is a person’s fear of being watched, criticized, or judged by other people. Because of this unreasonable fear, the person with social anxiety will feel severely distressed during social events or may even avoid these. Furthermore, even days or weeks before the event, the person already suffers with anticipatory anxiety just thinking about it. People with social anxiety do know that what they are feeling is unreasonable but they have no control over it.

Social events are the main fear of people with social anxiety. The different social events that cause anxiety can be speaking in front of a crowd, eating or drinking with others, socializing with other people, going to public toilets, conversing with someone on the phone, and others. Various factors can cause a person to fear these social events: false beliefs, negative opinion about others, and distorted thinking.. How will a doctor make a social anxiety diagnosis?

If symptoms of social anxiety are observed, the doctor will initially conduct an evaluation of a person’s medical history and a physical exam. First and foremost, the existence of a physical illness must be ruled out through performing laboratory tests.

If no physical illness is found through the laboratory test results, the patient will be referred to a psychologist or psychiatrist. Assessment and diagnosis of social anxiety are done by the psychologist or psychiatrist through interviews and other assessment tools. Upon diagnosis of social anxiety, the correct treatment strategy for the patient will be prescribed.

Some say that the most effective way to beat social anxiety is by cognitive-behavior therapy. This therapy is focused on guiding a person’s thoughts in a more rational direction. It teaches a person to cease from avoiding situations that cause anxiety and how to react to these situations differently. There are two methods that cognitive-behavior therapy is done: systematic desensitization and real life exposure to situations.

With systematic desensitization, a person imagines the situation that causes anxiety. And then, the person is helped by the therapist to overcome his or her fears. Another way to do cognitive-behavior therapy is by exposing the patient to real life social situations. This exposure is also done with the help of a therapist to guide the person through his or her fears.

Doctors also prescribe medicines in order to beat social anxiety. Doctors prescribe drugs like beta-blockers, antidepressants, and tranquilizers. Prescription drugs can be used in conjunction with cognitive-behavior therapy in order to manage social anxiety symptoms.

Cognitive-behavior therapy and prescription medicines have been tried by many social anxiety sufferers. But still, the best way to beat social anxiety is through the ebook called Panic Away.