Social Anxiety Treatment And Panic Disorder
In certain stressful situations, most people respond by becoming anxious, or panicked. But, in the case of individuals with social anxiety disorder, the panic and anxiety can feel life threatening. With severe anxiety the heart pounds, there is a sensation of suffocation, an urge to flee, weakness, shakiness, and perspiration. Commonly, those with this condition prefer to stay indoors due to a phobia of people, crowds, and very large or closed spaces. Without social anxiety treatment the individual may become a self imposed prisoner of his own home.
Social phobias or anxiety disorders are unique in that the person feels very strongly that everyone is staring at him and judging him negatively. These individuals feel embarrassed or shy even when asked to speak their own name aloud. Commonly someone with this disorder won't even answer the phone or allow anyone to take pictures of him. If guests come by, he cannot bring himself to answer the door, no matter how much he wishes he could. Tragically, if social anxiety treatment is not started, the individual may become severely depressed and there have even been cases of people with this disorder staying inside their homes for many years. They had been effectively trapped by their own irrational fears.
Social anxiety treatment requires the expertise of a doctor or mental health provider who will perform a thorough physical examination. Afterwards, he will most likely prescribe medications. The medications used in social anxiety treatment are anti depressants which work on the serotonin levels in the brain. Some of these anti depressants are Effexor, Prozac, Wellbutrin, Pristiq and Celexa. All of these medications help the person feel better about themselves and about going out in public. In addition to medication as a social anxiety treatment, biofeedback and positive self talk may be included. Many times, group therapy helps because the participants feel a camaraderie with others who are going through the same turmoils. There may be structured trips to the store serving as a teaching lesson, or one day the group may enter an elevator or ride in a taxi cab. Every step to healing is taken slowly in order for the individual to learn the necessary skills needed to get past his fears and anxieties.
Combining skilled compassionate mental health counselors along with medication, biofeedback, and positive self talk has been shown to be highly effective and successful in allowing an individual with social anxiety phobias to return to normal productive lives. The first step for anyone who has a family member or spouse with panic and anxiety symptoms is to encourage then to receive social anxiety treatment immediately. If the person will not go, or is too afraid, sometimes someone will come to the home and speak to the individual. This works well for people with severe panic disorders and greatly increases the success rate of overcoming it.
Return to the How To Stop Panic Attacks main page or take a look at some of the best ways for Treating Panic Attacks.
