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Social anxiety disorder

সোশ্যাল অ্যাংজাইটি ডিসঅর্ডার (মানুষের সামনে যেতে অতিরিক্ত ভয় বা উদ্বেগ)

mental-health psychiatric
0 medicines 6 symptoms

Common Symptoms

avoid or worry a lot about social activities like group conversations or parties worry about doing something embarrassing like blushing, sweating or appearing incompetent worry that other people are looking at you and noticing what you’re doing worry about eating or drinking in public fear being criticised, avoid eye contact or have low self esteem feel sick, sweaty or tremble during social situations

⚠️ This symptom list is for educational purposes. Having these symptoms does not mean you have this condition. See a doctor for proper diagnosis.

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Medicines Commonly Used

⚠️ These medicines are commonly used for confirmed diagnoses of this condition. This is NOT a recommendation or prescription. Treatment must be determined by your doctor.

No medicines have been linked to this condition yet.

Social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, is a long-term and overwhelming fear of social situations. People who have it feel far too worried before, during and after these situations.

Social anxiety usually starts in the teenage years. Without treatment, it can stay with a person for life.

If you're having these symptoms, get help. There are treatments that can make a real difference.

See a doctor if:

  • your anxiety is affecting your daily life
  • you're not looking after yourself
  • you're finding it hard to manage any responsibilities you have

Symptoms of social anxiety disorder

If you have social anxiety disorder, you might:

  • worry about everyday activities like meeting new people, starting conversations, speaking on the phone, working or shopping
  • avoid or worry a lot about social activities like group conversations or parties
  • worry about doing something embarrassing like blushing, sweating or appearing incompetent
  • worry that other people are looking at you and noticing what you're doing
  • worry about eating or drinking in public
  • fear being criticised, avoid eye contact or have low self esteem
  • feel sick, sweaty or tremble during social situations

Sometimes people with social anxiety also have other mental health conditions, like depression, generalised anxiety disorder or panic disorder.

Read more: Depression · Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) · Panic disorder

What causes social anxiety disorder?

Social anxiety disorder doesn't always have a clear cause.

Sometimes it comes from one or more of these:

  • social reasons: you've been bullied or embarrassed in a social situation in the past
  • psychological reasons: you have poor social skills, or you think other people are paying close attention to you
  • biological reasons: you may be more likely to be socially anxious if someone in your family is also socially anxious

Most often, your anxious feelings in social situations come from a mix of all these factors.

Treatment for social anxiety disorder

Social anxiety disorder can affect your daily life in a big way. The good news is that several treatments can help. These include:

  • talking therapies, like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
  • medicine, like a type of antidepressant called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

There are also many things you can do yourself to help reduce your social anxiety, like:

  • trying a self-help course
  • exercising regularly
  • stopping smoking
  • cutting down on alcohol
  • drinking less caffeine

With treatment, many people are able to control their levels of social anxiety. Some treatments may need to be continued for a long time, and there may be periods when your symptoms get worse.