How do you know when you are suffering from social anxiety?

Answer 1

See your doctor or therapist. I have it, and am medicated, and it REALLY HELPS!!!

Symptoms

People with social anxiety disorder usually experience significant emotional distress in the following situations:

Being introduced to other people
Being teased or criticized
Being the center of attention
Being watched while doing something
Meeting people in authority ("important people")
Most social encounters, especially with strangers
Going around the room (or table) in a circle and having to say something
Interpersonal relationships, whether friendships or romantic
This list is certainly not a complete list of symptoms -- other feelings have been associated with social anxiety as well.

The physiological manifestations that accompany social anxiety may include intense fear, racing heart, turning red or blushing, excessive sweating, dry throat and mouth, trembling, swallowing with difficulty, and muscle twitches, particularly about the face and neck.

Constant, intense anxiety that does not go away is the most common feature.

People with social anxiety disorder know that their anxiety is irrational and does not make "head" (i.e., cognitive) sense. Nevertheless, "knowing" something is not the same thing as "believing" and "feeling" something.

Thus, for people with social anxiety, thoughts and feelings of anxiety persist and show no signs of going away -- despite the fact that socially-anxious people "face their fears" every day of their lives.

Only the appropriate therapy works to alleviate social anxiety disorder, the largest anxiety disorder, and the one that few people know anything about.

Answer 2

Social anxiety is a difficult diagnosis. If you get nervous anytime you are going to have to interact with someone or a group of people, you could have social anxiety
In public places, such as work, meetings, or shopping, people with social anxiety feel that everyone is watching, staring, and judging them (even though rationally they know this isn't true). The socially anxious person can't relax, "take it easy", and enjoy themselves in public. In fact, they can never fully relax when other people are around. It always feels like others are evaluating them, being critical of them, or "judging" them in some way. The person with social anxiety knows that people don't do this openly, of course, but they still feel the self-consciousness and judgment while they are in the other person's presence. It's sometimes impossible to let go, relax, and focus on anything else except the anxiety and fear.

Answer 3

Social Anxiety is a made up disorder.
It was made up by the pharmecutical industry to sell more of the very dangerous Prozac type meds.

Don't think they are all that dangerous?
(See link below)

Ask doctors what the side effects are, and they will name off 3 of the less intense side effects. They only name those off, because that is all they are allowed to name off the dangerous ones.

The REAL truth can be found from those, like me, who suffered extreme consequences for having taken them. Below is a website which talks about the dangers. I can personally attest to the validity of the dangers.

As for my anxiety disorder, I have found alternate ways of dealing with it, and do not need medicine. You see, meds do not "treat" issues. Meds cover up the symptoms.

If you feel uncomfortable in crowds, that may simply be your personality type. Introverts tend to become exhausted around people, while extroverts are "recharged" being around lots of people. Neither are sick and need "treatment" for it. It just means that is something you need to work on.

If you are basically shy, just start a process of working through it. Interact with a very small number of people, and progressively increase the number of people that you interact with at a time.
Before, during and after each interaction, focus on the fact that you are not being judged, that you are being accepted.

It's something that can be overcome, not something that needs to be medicated.

Answer 4

Do you feel uncomfortable in crowds? Are you afraid to call the utilities to have them switched on/report a problem? Do you allow any problems with orders (of food, merchandise) to go unsolved because you are afraid to report them? Afraid of confrontation of any sort? If so, then you probably have social anxiety disorder.

As for me, I was forced by my best friend to get a job working at Six Flags Over Georgia. I ended up as a cashier in a food stand. It was face them or go hungry (I had to work, right?) I was eventually able to not just face all those people, but even occassionally chat with some of them. I had the condition bad; I never wanted to answer the phone--phones terrified me. I didn't go to restaurants alone, because they terrified me. I had few friends, because I was too afraid to open up and talk to anyone.

Now, I work in a hotel, and when my order is wrong at a restaurant, I firmly but politely asked that it be fixed.

Good luck; it can be a big, scary world out there.

Answer 5

I have social anxiety and I have a difficult time being in crowds I feel sometimes like i cant breathe and I have to find the perfect seat in places like in the back row on the outer edge so im not trapped in the middle. I have difficulty eating out at resturants because of it sometimes I really hate it but i am not taking any medication im relying on god to take it away from me and he has lessened the troubles i am getting better.

Answer 6

I suffer from this inability to cope with people. So I think you are talking about the same disorders I have. The symptoms I've noticed myself to manifest are withdrawing myself from:

1.relationships or anything that involves intimacy
2.social activities like going to wedding places
3.engaging in something I really want because it involves group work or lots of socialising and so on

Answer 7

You may have panic attacks, which mean you might get dizzy, "freaked out" when talking to people or in social situations, your stomache may feel fluttery (in a bad way), tightness in your chest (that goes away), shortness of breath (that goes away). Most of these things will go away after you leave the situation. But, see your doctor (medical or therapist) and they'll prescribe something for you.

My friend has this, and she gets so jittery and dizzy she needs to leave restaurants and parties almost right away. She got zoloft on really low doses and does great now.

Answer 8

Social Anxiety And Shyness Cure : http://tinyurl.com/Lrefj12dUB

Answer 9

In the case of Shyness or Social Anxiety, the concepts must be examined:
*as regards himself;
"It is awful everybody has scored more points on yahoo than I have", "I cannot ask/give interesting answers", "My avatar is uglier than everyone's else"

*as regards himself vis à vis the other person
this "other" being perceived as stronger, more capable and intrinsically hostile
"If I shoot myself in the foot,and yahoo suspends me for giving filthy answers, everybody will know about it",

Answer 10

More om SAD - Social Anxiety Disorder- is here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/social_anxiety