Social Phobia - The fear of being scrunitised and judged by others

Among all the phobias found, one of them that one can relate to in Malaysian communities is the social phobia. Social phobia is the fear of being scrunitised and judged by the people around us, mostly involving parties or bigger crowds.

It may be triggered by overprotective parents, or a traumatic event when the person is still a child, possibly bullying cases. If left unnoticed, the condition will turn into a full scale social phobia that would cause one to run away from crowds just to avoid having being judged or scrutinised by them.

• Blushing

• Difficulty talking

• Nausea

• Profuse sweating

• Trembling

• Elevated blood pressure

• Rapid heart rate

Physical symptoms that often occur with social phobia include:

I've seen people who has this phobia take off and run from a room of choir members thinking that they didn't want them there as a result from observing their frowns and scrutnity when they go in the room. 

Social phobia can be limited to one situation (such as talking to people, eating or drinking, or writing on a blackboard in front of others). Or, it may be so broad (such as in generalized social phobia) that the person experiences anxiety around almost everyone other than family members.

One can take a test to see if one has social phobia.

The health care provider will look at your history of phobia, and will get a description of the behavior from you, your family, and friends.

Signs include:

When seeking treatment, one should know of the possible outcomes.

The goal of treatment is to help you function effectively. The success of the treatment usually depends on the severity of the phobia.

Anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications are sometimes used to help relieve the symptoms of phobias.

-Aly-