Social phobia symptoms are both emotional and physical, and can cause serious harm over time. Some symptoms of social phobia are minor and may be little more than an inconvenience, while others may be so severe that they can change the way a person lives. In extreme cases the symptoms and effects of social phobia can lead to depression, isolation and even suicide.
Social phobia is a mental condition that causes a person to severely fear common activities and situations that involve other people. While some degree of social anxiety is normal, social phobia is far more severe. Common social phobia symptoms are specific fears that have little basis in reality. Many with social phobia disorders have an overwhelming fear of being judged for their actions. They have a fear of embarrassment and a fear of humiliation as well.
All of these tie into an overlying fear of being watched. People with social phobia believe that everyone around them is watching them. To a person with a social phobia, people are just waiting for a reason to mock, ridicule or tease them for any reason. Some people only have social phobia in specific settings, such as public speaking or when asking someone out on a date. Other times the symptoms may be with them whenever they are around other people, regardless of the situation.
These social phobia symptoms can become overbearing, and can affect how a person with the disorder acts on a daily basis. They may fear how people in the grocery store act around them, so they might only go shopping late at night. They may be terrified of rejection in dating situations, so they might give up dating altogether. They may even become so paralyzed with irrational fear that they might stop leaving the house whenever possible. Their professional and personal relationships can begin to suffer. Depression, and all the side effects and symptoms of it, can follow. Social phobia can very much be a life-threatening condition in these cases.
In addition to these emotional symptoms, some social phobia symptoms are physical. Many people with social phobias will physically react to situations that make them uncomfortable. These reactions can include profuse sweating, trembling, stuttering, and muscle tension. The stress associated with their fears can also lead to an upset stomach, and with that nausea and diarrhea.
Social phobia symptoms can be treated. Usually medical professionals combine therapy with anti depressants and other mood-altering medications that can help lessen the fears and anxieties that come with most social phobias. Sometimes medicinal treatment for social phobias is only temporary, while other times the medication regiment is more long-lasting.
