SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER / SOCIAL PHOBIA IN TEENS Brittany.K

What Is Social Anxiety?  Social Anxiety is the illogical, forceful, and relentless fear of a social event, situation, activity, etc.  In some teens, Social Anxiety Disorder is generally localized to one or two specific social encounters e.g. public speaking, commencing a conversation. However, in other teens Social Anxiety Disorder can be frightened of many social or public situations.

How Common Is It?  Social Anxiety is very common in both Canada and the United States.  1 in every 10 Canadians are affected by Social Anxiety  5.3 Million Americans are affected by Social Anxiety

Normal Quote. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2014

A Minor History  Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) dates as far back as 400 B.C. when Hippocrates depicted someone with SAD as a person who “loves darkness as life” (Hippocrates, 400 B.C.) and “thinks every man observes him” (Hippocrates, 400 B.C.)  In the 1950s, South African psychiatrist Joseph Wolpe worked on developing his “Systematic Desensitization” therapy techniques

Hippocrates Painted Portrait. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2014

A Minor History Cont.  In 1985, a psychiatrist by the name of Michael Liebowitz and a clinical psychiatrist by the name of Richard set off to have more research done on Social Anxiety  1995 – Present, an vast amount of research has gone into Social Anxiety and there is currently 4 medications to treat it. These medications include Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor, and Luvox

What Are The Symptoms?  Fear of being judged  Fear that others will notice the fact that you seem anxious  Avoiding conversations  Always expecting the worst from a social encounter  Overbearing concern that you will offend someone  Extreme fear of having to talk with or interact with a stranger

Anxiety Silence. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2014

What Are The Causes?  The main causes of SAD include:  Inheritance, meaning that someone in your family might have had Social Anxiety Disorder or you learned the actions or SAD from a family member  Structure of the Brain, a certain structure in the brain, called the Amygdala, has been known to play a role in controlling the response to fear. Someone with an overactive Amygdala may have a heightened fear response  Environment, as said before, SAD can be a learned disorder by witnessing anxious behaviour or being around someone one who is anxious

Amygdala Picture. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2014

What Are The Risk Factors?  Some risk factors, which can lead to Social Anxiety Disorder, include:  Family History, SAD can be passed on or learned  Negative/Traumatic Experiences, things such as bullying, teasing, and abuse can lead to Social Anxiety  Temperament, children who are shy, timid, or recluse often end up having Social Anxiety  Social Demands, the pressure of trying to fit in with society's high standers can cause SAD

Where Can You Find Help?  There are many places in Calgary and Alberta for help with Social Anxiety. These include:  Therapists. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2014, from gary&state=AB&spec=3 gary&state=AB&spec=3  Anxiety Care. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2014, from  Anxiety Help. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2014, from canada/alberta/ canada/alberta/

Don’t Fill Your Head. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2014

How is SAD Diagnosed?  Social Anxiety Disorder is diagnosed through a series of examinations and questionnaires. These include:  Reviewing a list of symptoms  Performing a physical exam to find any triggers  Filling out a psychological questionnaires to pinpoint diagnosis  Describing your symptoms, the persistence of them, how long they last, when/how they occur, etc.

Medication & Therapy  Psychological Counselling, also known as Psychotherapy, is a type of therapy in which you learn how to recognize and control your triggers, coping skills, confidence, etc.  Medication, there are several types of meds which can be used to treat SAD, these include: Paxil, Zoloft, Efferxor XR, etc.  Other types of medication which can be used include: Anti- Depressants, Anti-Anxiety Medication, as well as Beta Blockers which work to block the effect epinephrine

Sad. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2014

Lifestyles & Home Remedies  Reach out to people that you feel comfortable with  Get enough sleep  Get physical activity  Try making eye contact with strangers or people you are talking with  Call a friend and try to arrange plans  Give someone a compliment

References  A Brief History of Social Anxiety Disorder. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2014, from  Mental Health - Anxiety Disorders. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2014, from  Social anxiety disorder (social phobia). (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2014, from disorder/basics/definition/con disorder/basics/definition/con  Social anxiety disorder Symptoms. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2014, from disorder/basics/symptoms/con disorder/basics/symptoms/con  Social Anxiety Disorder Causes. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2014, from disorder/basics/causes/con disorder/basics/causes/con  Teen Health. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2014, from social-phobiahttp://teens.webmd.com/teen- social-phobia

References Cont.  Anxiety Care. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2014, from  Anxiety Help. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2014, from treatment-services-in-canada/alberta/ treatment-services-in-canada/alberta/  Diagnosis. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2014, from conditions/social-anxiety-disorder/basics/tests-diagnosis/con http:// conditions/social-anxiety-disorder/basics/tests-diagnosis/con  Lifestyle. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2014, from conditions/social-anxiety-disorder/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con http:// conditions/social-anxiety-disorder/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con  Risk Factors. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2014, from conditions/social-anxiety-disorder/basics/risk-factors/con http:// conditions/social-anxiety-disorder/basics/risk-factors/con  Therapists. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2014, from  Treatments. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2014, from conditions/social-anxiety-disorder/basics/treatment/con http:// conditions/social-anxiety-disorder/basics/treatment/con

Picture References  Anxiety Silence. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2014, from  Amygdala Picture. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2014, from content/uploads/2011/10/amygdala-medial-temporal-lobe-neurons-brain-human1.jpghttp://1x57.com/wp- content/uploads/2011/10/amygdala-medial-temporal-lobe-neurons-brain-human1.jpg  Don’t Fill Your Head. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2014, from  It gets better. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2014, from tatic_ben6k5ti00ock00k0o0wk8o80.jpg tatic_ben6k5ti00ock00k0o0wk8o80.jpg  Hippocrates Painted Portrait. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2014, from house.tk/images/Amanprana_Hippocrates_Gandhi_Peter_Engels/Hippocrates_Amanprana_Let_f ood_be_your_medicine_painter_Peter_Engels.jpghttp:// house.tk/images/Amanprana_Hippocrates_Gandhi_Peter_Engels/Hippocrates_Amanprana_Let_f ood_be_your_medicine_painter_Peter_Engels.jpg  Normal Quote. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2014, from  Sad. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2014, from fcqo1_500.gif fcqo1_500.gif

It gets better. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2014