Social Phobia | Teen Ink

Social Phobia

June 7, 2022
By Anonymous

Phobias are an anxiety disorder that most people have. It can interfere with your daily life and cause trouble for you. They usually don’t pose a lot of danger, so it’s a psychological thing. Phobias are an uncontrollable fear of an activity, situation, object, or living thing. When someone has a phobia, they try to avert it, because they are extremely scared. People that have extreme phobias are aware of it, but they can’t overcome it. It can become a big problem if the specific phobia interferes with their daily activities like school or work. If someone can avoid their specific phobias, they wouldn’t have the need to seek out help or treatment (Hopkins Medicine). 
One of the most problematic phobias that people are either born with or develop is social phobia. Someone with social phobia may experience anxiety before going out or during it. They may fear talking to people or even eating in public. Someone who has a social phobia would be scared when they are in public places because they don’t want to embarrass and humiliate themselves. Social phobias prevent people from being able to live their life because they will try and avoid normal situations which will affect their relationships with people (Bridges to Recovery). 
Social phobia and being shy are often confused with each other, but they are very different. It is obvious when someone is shy because they often show it more than people who have social phobias, and people that have social phobias might appear extroverted to hide the fact that they are anxious in social places. The difference between someone who is why and someone who has social phobias but doesn’t come off extroverted is that someone with social phobias wouldn’t be able to do normal activities when they are out of their comfort zone (Calm Clinic). 
People that suffer from social phobias either develop them due to childhood trauma, are naturally more reserved and just born like that or they inherited it from their family. If a child is bullied or humiliated, they are most likely to develop social phobias when they grow up. The exact cause of social phobia is still unknown; however, researchers think it likely is passed on from genetics and how the person was/is treated. Amygdala, a structure in the brain that affects emotions and emotional behavior, also plays a role in controlling fear. People that have an overreactive amygdala might feel more fear in certain situations, unlike other people, which can increase their anxiety. Someone with a facial disorder might become very self-conscious of themselves due to how they look and if they are bullied about it, it may trigger their anxiety (Mayo Clinic). 
There are still ways to overcome social phobias. Breathing exercises might help to calm someone down so they wouldn’t be overthinking and triggering their phobia. Talking with a therapist might be the best way since they are professionals and would be able to tell someone what to do to overcome their phobias in the healthiest way possible. 



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