Jennifer came to me several failed visits and theripys through out her teen
years. She had, like it past reports complained of "always feeling worried
and anxious". She often talked on how going out to social settings and
relationships was so difficult. Believing that it was her fate to always be
alone. She felt very uncomfortable around crowds as if they would turn on her in
angry or disapproval. Jennifer had came to me after a referral from a mutual
friend of mine. One that she had built a friendship with the current job that
she had worked continuously for 2 yrs. Past History: Talking about her past
relationships, I found she hadn't been intimate with any single person in over
six yrs. That all had failed within 3 moths. Most of her broken relationships
were because she felt mistrust, and a feeling that "they were trying to
pull something over on me, and I (Jennifer) was so afraid of being hurt".
Often, making quick calls and predictions to the short-term future, she thought
it was best to "run away." Jennifer's body language showed of an act.
Working in the pubic she had taught herself to act how she viewed as normal.
There was difficulty in eye contact, almost as if she was fighting not to look
away. Observing her petite frame, it was on that Turning around I viewed her
expressions threw a mirror on the wall, becoming untensed and looking down, it
was an action of a person being gratefully relived. After building a strong
foundation over several months, I begun slowly taking her back to her teen
years. I found when Jennifer was 15 years of age; she had become intimate with a
17-year-old male. This relationship had lasted for two years. During the
relationship, she told of constily being put down, that it wasn't nothing
physical but all mental. She told of several experiences of that the male had
look outside their relationship for other sexual gradifications, even so far to
involve the majority of her trusted female friends. Jennifer spoke with tremble
in her voice as she recalls certain personal situations. The short stories were
that of deceit and humiliation. Identifying Systems: Social Phobia is the marked
and persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the
person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others. The
individual fears that he or she will act in a way (or show anxiety symptoms)
that will be humiliating or embarrassing. Exposure to the feared social
situation almost invariably provokes anxiety, The person recognizes that the
fear is excessive or unreasonable. The feared social or performance situations
are avoided or else areendured with intense anxiety or distress. The avoidance,
anxious anticipation, or distress in the feared social or performance situation
interferes with the person's normal routine, occupational functioning, or social
activities or relationships, or there is marked distress about having the
phobia. If you suffer from social phobia, you tend to think that other people
are very competent in public and that you are not. Small mistakes you make may
seem to you much more exaggerated than they really are. Blushing itself may seem
painfully embarrassing, and you feel as though all eyes are focused on you. You
may be afraid of being with people other than those closest to you. Or your fear
may be more specific, such as feeling anxious about giving a speech, talking to
a boss or other authority figure, or dating. The most common social phobia is a
fear of public speaking. Sometimes social phobia involves a general fear of
social situations such as parties. More rarely it may involve a fear of using a
public restroom, eating out, talking on the phone, or writing in the presence of
other people, such as when signing a check. Although this disorder is often
thought of as shyness, the two are not the same. Shy people can be very uneasy
around others, but they don't experience the extreme anxiety in anticipating a
social situation, and they don't necessarily avoid circumstances that make them
feel self-conscious. In contrast, people with social phobia aren't necessarily
shy at all. They can be completely at ease with people most of the time, but
particular situations, such as walking down an aisle in public or making a
speech, can give them intense anxiety. People with social phobia are aware that
their feelings are irrational. Still, they experience a great deal of dread
before facing the feared situation, and they may go out of their way to avoid
it. Even if they manage to confront what they fear, they usually feel very
anxious beforehand and are intensely uncomfortable throughout. Afterwards, the
unpleasant feelings may linger, as they worry about how they may have been
judged or what others may have thought or observed about them. Treatment: About
80 percent of people who suffer from social phobia find relief from their
symptoms when treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy or medications or a
combination of the two. The first approach to treatment of social anxiety
disorder usually involves the prescription of a drug by a physician. Typically
Xanax is prescribed for situational relief. Inhibitor such as (Paxil) is used to
target the biological production and/or absorption of serotonin. Therapy may
involve learning to view social events differently; being exposed to a seemingly
threatening social situation in such a way that it becomes easier to face; and
learning anxiety-reducing techniques, social skills, and relaxation techniques.
The prognosis for diagnosed social phobias is excellent, with a reported 90% of
treated patients experiencing a significant reduction in symptoms. Cognitive
Behavior Therapy is a psychological treatment, which trains anxious people to
overcome their fear through the practice of a variety of exercises and coping
techniques. With social anxiety, group therapy is especially effective in that
clients have the opportunity to practice their learning in a safe and
sympathetic environment. CBT usually begins with a study of the disorder,
examining the situations that provoke the anxiety and the accompanying somatic
symptoms. The educational process sets the understanding for training in skills
to alleviate and eventually conquer social phobia. These skills include
relaxation techniques, diaphragmatic breathing, and the cognitive restructuring
of distorted and negative thinking that contribute to social anxiety and
exposure to situations that precipitate anxiety. . Prognosis: Beginning within
months Jennifer showed great improvements. With the proper dosage adjustments
and therapy, she was able maintain and over come many of her fears. Jennifer now
attends monthly group sessions that she feels are most important. The
prescription of Xanax has gradually been reducing to lower dosages, as she feels
less more dependants. The Paxil has, however has been reduced, she found a
noticeable change when reducing consumption. But with support threw CBT and
group therapy she feels more confiendent in herself in finding out how to life a
structured life around "had have" social phobia.