Sammy Marks 1

Social Anxiety In America

Sammy P Marks

Marvin Ridge HS
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Social Anxiety In America

Do you have anxiety? Anxiety affects many people in many different ways. One of the

most common anxiety disorders is social anxiety disorder, which affects around approximately

fifteen million Americans. According to Jerilyn Ross (2008) “Social anxiety disorder is when

somebody has an intense, persistent and irrational fear of social or performance situations.”

15 million adults are affected by Social anxiety disorder everyday in the United States of

America. That is around 7% of the population in America. Social anxiety disorder is just as

common in men as it is in women. The usual age a person is diagnosed with SAD in the U.S is

13 years old. In a ADAA survey from 2007, the results showed that 36% of humans with SAD

feel and have symptoms for over 10 years before they attempt to get treatment.

Pollsters (people who conduct or analyze opinionated polls) created a poll and surveyed

578 different people the suffer from anxiety. Out of those 578 people, 276 of those people deal

with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and 287 of the 578 people have social anxiety. Out of all the

people with the disorder, around 75 percent of the people said that anxiety changed and affected

their daily life and ability to do normal things. Approximately 69 percent of the people told the

pollsters that they did not want other people to think differently about them or look at them like

they are crazy. Also, 58 percent of the people with the disorder said that they were embarrassed

of the condition. Many of the surveyed people told the pollsters that they treated or currently
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treating the disorder. 59 percent of those people who have or are getting treatment said it is

improving their daily lives and bringing a positive impact on relationships. Another 39 percent of

the people who got help said they made the decision to get help because they heard that the

different treatments for anxiety can work and help. Other important information gained from this

survey are as followed. 34 percent of the 578 people surveyed said that anxiety causes them to be

involved in serious fights with other people close to them. 77 percent of the people said that their

disorder in some form or fashion has negatively hurt their relationship with a significant other.

35 percent said that because of the social anxiety, it made them not be able to be intimate or

avoid intimacy completely. 24 percent of the people surveyed told the pollsters that because of

their anxiety, people close to them lose respect or do not respect them. Many of those surveyed

reported that they did not have many or any close friends, about 55 percent shared that

information. 66 percent of those surveyed said that they have had some type of misunderstanding

with their friend(s) and about 50 percent said that they did not even tell their friends about their

condition and side effects. Over 60 percent of the people reportedly said that they do not keep in

touch with their friends or did not keep in touch with them. Most of them said they would not

text back or answer any phone calls or call anybody back.

Social anxiety disorder comes with a variety of side effects and symptoms. Social phobia

can make somebody feel extremely anxious about interacting with other people and it will be

difficult to talk to others. This disorder makes a person quite self-conscious in any type of group

and consistently make them worry about being humiliated, embarrassed, rejected, or even fearful
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of making someone else mad or upset. Social anxiety can cause someone to have a constant fear

that people are talking about them or judging them behind their back, this is known as paranoia.

Another symptom is the stress and worrying for long periods of time about an activity

coming up with other people involved. A significant symptom of social phobia is that it is hard to

meet and make new friends and being able to keep those friends. A common side effect and

feeling is nausea or a gross feeling in your stomach when around other people. Social anxiety

can limit a person from going places because of what people are doing and where they are. There

are some physical side effects and symptoms as well. Those consist of rapid heartbeat, tight

feeling in the throat region, perspiring, blushing, blurriness, shaky, and can cause speech

disorders. One of the largest problems people with social anxiety disorder suffer from is

depression.

Depression and social anxiety are commonly found to be associated with one another.

Two frequently asked questions are, “Can depression cause people to have social anxiety

disorder?” and “Can having social anxiety set up a person for depression?” These questions are

asked because people wonder why they feel depressed when they have social anxiety,and other

people wonder why they get anxious when they are depressed. Having anxiety and constant

worries because of being around others can cause someone to feel down all the time and want to

isolate themselves and/ or no longer take part in activities and local events. In the same situation,

when people lose interest in life, it can cause them to be scared and anxious when around others

for a countless amount of reasons. Studies have shown that there's a powerful connection
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between social anxiety disorder and becoming depressed or having depression at some point later

in life. Research has shown that you are six times more likely to be diagnosed and affected by

depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disorder if you have social anxiety disorder. You are more at

danger of taking on these secondary disorders in relationship to how many different social

phobias you have. A study in 2001, (in Primary Care Companion Journal of Clinical Psychiatry:

Psychotherapy Casebook) went on to show more relationships between social anxiety disorder

(SAD) and depression. The results of the study were that if you have SAD and depression, then

you are at jeopardy of more problems because of the deadly combination. The problems that

SAD and depression create when someone has both is an enhanced chance at problems with

alcohol and other drugs, and problems with being impaired in a social environment and being

able to function properly. Another issue depression and SAD cause when combined is a decrease

in motivation and care to fix an issue and seek treatment. A big problem with having both SAD

and depression is that it increases a risk of suicide. Another study in 2001, (the Archives of

General Psychiatry) showed that even though getting social anxiety disorder at a young age has

connection to developing depression later on in life, the study proved that not every person who

is diagnosed with SAD becomes depressed in their life. When someone at an early age has social

anxiety disorder, they are able to reduce their chances of getting depression later in life if they

seek proper treatment and care. People with SAD will withdraw from society because of a fear of

what other people think and being judged by others. People that have depression will withdraw

themselves from society and social interactions because it isn’t fun to them and they don’t enjoy

themselves. Social anxiety disorder does not change or affect your ability to have fun, just your
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ability to interact correctly and normally. Depression rather makes you never think you can have

fun or enjoy yourself.

Typically, depression is what people go to the doctors to get help for. Many people do not

know that the problem really could be social anxiety disorder (SAD). People who suffer from

SAD, usually do not open up about the issues they experience and also do not know that social

anxiety is a treatable disorder. As a result of most people not knowing that social anxiety is a real

thing or treatable, majority of the people who have SAD, do not seek help and treatment unless

the person has other problems that they go to the doctors to get help for. Even then, social

anxiety disorder can go ignored and misdiagnosed. Luckily, many of the cures and fixes

prescribed for depression, also are efficient in caring for SAD. Two different treatments used for

depression that work for SAD also are, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and

cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).

If someone is diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, they will have many different ways

to get treatment and help. There are three key types of treatment. The three treatments are

therapy, medications, and support physically and mentally. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

is a commonly method used for helping SAD. CBT can help mentally and control some thoughts

and can help treat the physical symptoms that come along with social anxiety. Another form of

therapy is exposure therapy which is a very successful way to help SAD. Exposure therapy is

directed towards going head to head with a fear or phobia. Exposure therapy consists of

practicing new coping skills and collectively taking baby steps towards the things that cause a
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person's fear. Examples of exposure therapy are, giving a friend a call, talking to random people,

going to a job interview, and speaking in the public. The method of exposure therapy is greatly

effective and has a big impact on people's lives and ability to face one's fears.

Another method for helping treat social anxiety disorder are medications. Medications

that act as antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and beta-blockers can be used to help SAD which

treat social anxiety disorder help fix problems with school, work, and other daily adventures.

Some common medications used in treating SAD are Zoloft, Effexor XR, Luvox CR, and Paxil.

A third treatment for social anxiety disorder is support. There are numerous different

types of support. Any sort of support is beneficial to someone suffering from SAD. Support

groups are helpful especially when the group has other people who are going through the same

troubles and problems as yourself. The support you receive could be from support groups you

have met in person or support groups online, they are both a huge help to the treatment of SAD.

There are many places to go on the internet to support social anxiety and to learn more

about social anxiety. The “Andrew Kukes Foundation for Social Anxiety” is a foundation that

raises money for social anxiety and helps spread awareness on SAD. Their goal is to inform

everyone of social anxiety and the diagnosis and treatment for SAD. Also, there is a National

Social Anxiety Center. The NSAC has multiple clinics located throughout the country. They also

have a website that can help and give you insight on social anxiety. The National Social Anxiety

Center’s goal is to treat social anxiety to their best ability.

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In conclusion, many people in the United States suffer from social anxiety disorder along

with many of its side effects and symptoms. Millions of Americans affected by SAD are seeking

help to treat the disorder. Social anxiety disorder can lead to other disorders and issues for a

person making it a growing problem in this country that needs to be fixed.

References

Andrew Kukes Foundation for Social Anxiety -. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2017, from

http://akfsa.org/

Anxiety Disorders. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2017, from

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml

Cuncic, A. (n.d.). The Link Between Social Anxiety Disorder and Depression. Retrieved

November 29, 2017, from

://www.verywell.com/social-anxiety-and-depression-go-handinhand-3024695

Facts & Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2017, from

https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics
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List of Social Anxiety Disorder Medications (12 Compared). (n.d.). Retrieved November 24,

2017, from ​https://www.drugs.com/condition/social-anxiety-disorder.html

National Social Anxiety Center. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2017, from

http://nationalsocialanxietycenter.com/

Reinberg, S., & Reporter, H. (1970, April 10). 15 Million Americans Suffer From Social Anxiety

Disorder. Retrieved November 24, 2017, from

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthday/story?id=4621523

Social Anxiety Disorder. (2017, March 29). Retrieved November 29, 2017, from

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/social-anxiety-disorder