Social Phobia is classified in the International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition (CID-10), as an anxious disorder. Thus, this classification speaks of Social Phobia inserted into a wider group of Anxious Disorders. The expression "disease" has been abandoned by several areas of medicine, including Psychiatry. At times it is used more as a force of habit rather than intentionally.

Social Phobia can be eliminated by psychotherapy, even if the existence of genetic or biochemical factors associated to the psychological process is admitted. Given the fact that anxiety is very high, panic attacks being common, medication may be needed.

No. It cannot be said that one approach is more effective than the others for Social Anxiety Disorder. Even though some therapists say so, there is no scientific proof of it. The hard fact is that there is no time-honored tradition in the different schools of psychotherapy, except for some exceptions, of assessing treatment outcomes. This is also due to the difficulty of having reliable instruments to carry out such measurements.

There is no proof that Social Phobia is hereditary. Some epidemiologic data suggest it, but there are not enough elements to warrant a conclusion. The same occurrence in one of the parents cannot be regarded as evidence. A person's self-concept, values, and beliefs, as well as many current feelings and emotions, may have their roots in childhood, when the self was being formed.

Social Anxiety Disorder generates great uncertainty. The person knows that, all of a sudden, she may face a hazardous situation. Even though the person puts up defenses and avoids social contacts as much as possible, life and obligations do not always make this practice possible. Thus, anxiety attacks end up occurring. Most sufferers of Social Anxiety Disorder live in a permanent hazardous state.

The impact varies with the individual. For some, social anxiety is limited to a very specific kind of performance, such as giving a speech or playing a musical instrument for an audience. For others, the anxiety is much more generalized and can prevent them from eating in public restaurants or using public lavatories. It can interfere with education and affect building and maintaining friendships or romantic relationships.

We really don't know. Some experts think that it might be due to people getting stuck at the normal stage of shyness that all children go through between the ages of three and seven.

Yes, many medications yield good results, and all over the world sufferers of Social Anxiety Disorder are being treated exclusively with them. On the other hand, medications are ineffective in a small percentage of persons, due to special metabolic conditions of a genetic nature. Many professionals, the author of this website among them, prefer an association of medication and psychotherapy.

Because scientists are still striving to determine what causes the disorder, they do not know how to prevent social phobia. Mental health professionals urge people who suspect they have a problem to seek treatment right away. With early intervention, there is hope that as quality-of-life improves, some of the problems related to social phobia can be avoided or reduced. People with social phobia, for example, are at an increased risk of alcoholism.

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Generally not in most people. Social phobia is generally viewed as a chronic condition requiring intervention. Some people can conquer it on their own if they develop the appropriate skills. In most cases, however, professional assistance is recommended.

Social phobia cannot be detected through a blood sample or an X-ray. Instead, it is diagnosed based on information provided to a physician or therapist during a clinical interview. Having a family member with social phobia appears to heighten one’s risk slightly for developing it. The family influence appears to be related to both genetic and environmental sources.

Generally speaking, the component of anxiety is much greater in people with social phobia than it is with shyness. Social phobics tend to avoid social situations to a greater extreme than shy people do. A social phobic may not be able to get themselves to go to a party, while a shy person may be able to go but may end up sitting alone for most of the evening.

Various studies have shown that up to 10 percent of children may have a shy and anxious predisposition from earliest childhood. Whether these are the people who go on to develop social phobia remains to be answered. Most studies of social phobia have indicated that the average age of disorder onset is in the teenage years.

I remember a friend in college who would blush, sweat, and tremble when required by a teacher to speak in class. A few weeks before the presentation, he'd be anxious, agitated, and couldn't... Read More In the next few years paramedics, first responders and military medics will have instant hibernation devices. These devices will come in small canisters of the gas to slow the body down after replacing... Read More Hernia repair is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures worldwide.

ESB has proved to be a very useful treatment for social phobia, the best that there is. While the medication (pharmacotherapy) and psychotherapy give relief in 50 to 70 % of the cases, ESB helps in 85 % of the cases, and at much better level of life quality. This has been proved to be so statistically higly significantly in a University based study of more than 200 patients. ESB often reduces the ambient redness in the face, even if it is performed at levels T3 or T4 for sweating symptoms.

Cause-related marketing [sometimes referred to as social cause marketing or social marketing--editor] refers to a commercial activity in which companies and nonprofit organizations form alliances to market an image, product or service for mutual benefit. Some companies also extend their relationship with an organization or a cause beyond marketing, integrating it with other company activities, such as community involvement, employee volunteerism or corporate philanthropy.

A part of your registration fee will be given to the deserving social institutions like orphanages, old age homes and Mother Theresa charity homes . We shall also help the poor Christians to get married. Back to FAQ

There isn't a ready, out-of-the-box cure for emetophobia or any other phobia. Some people suggest desensitizing phobics to vomit. Densensitization supposedly culminates with the phobic inducing vomiting. But that isn't the best option. This is because many phobics are already around vomiters (usually their children; additionally, phobic health care workers are exposed to their patients, and phobic teachers are exposed to their students).

I find that my phobia has varied in intensity over the years. There was a time when I was about 16 that I thought I was cured; I hardly ever worried about vomiting and preventing it then. When I was 18, it came back suddenly and with a vengeance. It did not prevent me from doing things I wanted to do that fall starting college, however. My fear gradually eased to the point where I call myself close to being cured.

No. Using cognitive behavioral and relaxation techniques, you can develop the skills to overcome your phobia. However, without treatment of some sort, the phobia could remain and even get worse...

No phobia, fear or anxiety is silly. Almost certainly our well trained hypnotherapists will have seen it before and will be able to deal with it. No worry is silly if it is affecting your life and it is worth doing something about it.

Moxibustion (heat therapy) is a great way to do a treatment without any needles at all. The results from moxibustion are as good or, in some cases, even better then needles. In fact, most of our patients receive a combination of acupuncture and moxibustion as part of their regular treatment.

Traumatic events seem to increase the risk of developing social anxiety disorder. People with social anxiety disorder are twice as likely to have experienced trauma as a child. Many people who experience traumatic events develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and they are much more likely to develop depression or social anxiety. However, many people with social anxiety disorder have never experienced a traumatic event.

A fear or anxiety associated with visiting a dentist is often referred to as dental phobia. Dental phobia is often the reason people avoid regular check-ups with a dentist. This naturally has serious consequences for the state of oral health and general well-being for many people. Neglecting your oral health can have numerous unfavorable effects. One of these could be chronically infected gums which can seriously compromise your ability to chew and digest. You may even lose teeth.

The Virtual Reality Medical Center employs psychologists and psychiatrists that are able to treat clients with traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This typically involves teaching stress and anxiety management techniques that can be used in any anxiety-inducing situation, and then exposing you to pictures and video and auditory stimuli of the phobic object. Some disorders will then involve exposure to the actual feared object in real life, when you are ready for this step.

What many phobic people want is to be able to have their dental work done without pain, fear or awareness. In dentistry this can be accomplished in two ways. For the dental phobic with a milder fear, sedation or the use of anxiety reducing drugs can be used to calm them. While in this calm state, dental work can be accomplished. For those with a more severe and debilitating fear, general anesthesia (that is, being completely asleep in the hospital) is effective.

Beats me. In my opinion, those who know about these techniques and continue to prescribe drugs are irresponsible. Others need to be educated. After you're improved feel free to educate them!