According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) published by the American Psychiatric Association, social phobia is a condition in which a person feels a distinct fear or anxiety in social situations where he/she may be evaluated by others. For example,
anxiety occurs in situations such as talking to each other,
communicating with unfamiliar people, being observed (while eating or drinking), and
performing an action in front of others (public speaking). The person is afraid of behaving in a way that will be evaluated negatively or that others will understand that he/she is anxious. He worries that he will be humiliated.
These social situations we mentioned almost always cause anxiety. Therefore, these
social events are avoided or endured with intense fear and anxiety. This situation lasts for more than six
months. This fear and anxiety negatively affects the person's life and causes a functional decline in social, work or other important life areas. In other words,
a person's relationships may deteriorate due to their anxiety, and their success at work or school may decrease.
Being in public places is scary. If they need to enter such environments, it is possible that they will take someone with them. Individuals with social phobia worry that their anxiety will become apparent and that others will notice this situation. In these cases, they do not control what people outside
do, that is, their antennas are turned inward and they neglect to control the outside world. Their faces turn red, their heartbeat increases, they experience headaches, and this may even cause them to have a panic attack. They avoid eye contact, they may drink water and use sedatives to calm their
anxiety while performing.
causes it to grow, the person gets caught in the hail while trying to escape from the rain, and his/her anxiety increases even more due to these
behaviors we mentioned.
Humans are social creatures. According to the research, communication with others is required by the research.
After a while, symptoms such as hallucinations and suspicion of each other appear in people who are stopped. Minimizing communication with others is unhealthy, as research supports
. It is obvious that if a social phobic person stops communicating with others due to their anxiety, their mental
health will be negatively affected.
How is social phobia treated? Is it possible to overcome this disease without medication?
Medication and psychotherapy are applied to individuals with social phobia. As drug treatment, drugs that are especially effective on the serotonin system are preferred. Patients generally fear that drugs
will cause addiction, but drugs do not cause addiction. It is also possible to overcome this disease without medication, that is, through therapy. The school of therapy that is applied to social phobia and gives rapid results is Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy. In cognitive therapy, feelings of anxiety, physical sensations that occur in response to this anxiety (accelerated heartbeat, facial flushing) and the thoughts that pass through the person's mind in situations where anxiety is experienced are determined. To give an example
, individuals with social phobia assume that they are thought negatively about them
unless something positive is said to them. These people do not take compliments seriously, they just perceive them as white lies told to make themselves happy. All eyes are on him
and they think that when he makes a mistake, all eyes will see it and have negative thoughts
about him.
The sentences that usually come to mind of individuals with social phobia are as follows: "It comes to my mind
br /> there won't be anything to talk about.'' ''I'll say something stupid.'' ''I'll blush.''
''They'll think I'm stupid.'' ''I'll freeze.'' I'll be boring, than me
br /> they will get bored.'' Since these examples are thoughts that occur suddenly in the minds of individuals, we call these thoughts automatic thoughts. In order to cope with these thoughts, thoughts that we call intermediate beliefs
are also formed. To give an example, "If I'm quiet, it will turn out that I'm boring." "I should speak intelligently." "If I'm not perfect, they won't want me and won't love me." ''I shouldn't show my weaknesses.'' ''If you don't like me, there must be something missing from me.'' ''They shouldn't understand that I'm anxious.'' ''I should make a good impression.'' ''I should get everyone's approval. I have to buy it." These thoughts can become ossified over time
and the person may have a deep-rooted belief in the following thoughts: "I'm stupid." "I'm ugly." "I'm inadequate."
"I'm weak."
Anxiety is not only experienced when the person is worried; the person already starts to worry
before the situation that causes anxiety. And the anxiety continues for a while after the anxiety-provoking situation.
The client is taught coping strategies regarding these experiences. What is done in the behavioral therapy
part is as follows: modeling, gradually facing one's fears, role playing, relaxation training, and social skills training. We understand that
individuals with social phobia are better during therapy than before: "Negative
evaluations have decreased." For example, a worst-case scenario is written for a client who is reluctant to go to a job interview, and this scenario is played by the therapist and the client. In a way, the client prepares for a job interview.
Social Skills Training may be required in the treatment of social phobia.
1.Social skill deficiencies
Skill inadequacy
Performance inadequacy< br /> Lack of self-control
Inability to demonstrate skills
2.Initiating and maintaining relationships
3.Skills to carry out work in a group
4.Emotional skills
5.Coping with aggressive behavior
6.Coping with stressful situations
7.Modelling
8.Role playing
Certain social skills are required for successful peer interaction. These skills; These are skills such as greeting
, accepting and inviting invitations to participate in peer activities, asking questions, answering questions asked by others, and maintaining a conversation.
Social The following different methods are used in teaching skills: It tastes. Role Playing
Method Demonstration Method Modeling Method Coaching
Method Direct Teaching Method Cognitive Process Approach Cognitive Social Learning
Method Peer Assisted Learning Drama Art Therapy Collaborative Learning Method
/> Providing social skills training will be beneficial for these individuals (self-introduction, choosing appropriate topics for communication, active listening, self-disclosure, initiating and continuing social activities, initiative training (role play), anti-contrarian thinking. verbalization, speaking in front of a crowd)
What are the types of social phobia? How often does it occur? What is the age of onset?
Types of social phobia are divided into two: common and uncommon. Anxiety is a common type if it is seen in many
social situations, and an uncommon type if it is experienced in some situations (eating, speaking in front of others
). Lifetime incidence
is between 2-13%. In a study conducted in Turkey, social phobia was detected in 24% of university students. It occurs between the ages of 10-17, while common type social phobia may appear at an earlier age.
Social phobia can also be learned from others. We can also develop social phobia
from the experiences of others. In a study conducted on the Prevalence of Social Phobia in University Students and the Effects of Social Phobia on
Quality of Life, Academic Success and Identity Formation, 73.7% of social phobics were determined to be in the specific social phobia subtype and
social phobia. It has been concluded that women who are at relative risk of developing the disease, those who live in villages/towns for a long time, those who have a family history of psychiatric illnesses and those with low socioeconomic levels should be monitored more carefully and integrated into society. We guess it's different. It is necessary to evaluate this point
in a cultural context. According to research, there are more male clients who apply to clinics with the problem of social phobia
, but due to the patriarchal structure, the difference between the society's expectations from male individuals and female individuals
comes to clinics. > we have more male clients applying We think that the number of male individuals applying to clinics
is higher than female individuals, but we think that female individuals do not apply to clinics even though they have social phobia
problems
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