Social Phobia: Long Term Outlook
- Anxiety Disorders
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Panic Disorder
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Childhood Disorders
- Down Syndrome
- Eating Disorders
- Mood Disorders
- Personality Disorders
- Phobias
- Somatoform Disorders
- Mental Disorder Articles
Social Phobia: Long Term Outlook
The Problem
Social phobia is not directly life-threatening. However, quality of life is sorely affected. Many are afraid to leave the house without a friend with them, and become very dependant. This negatively impacts on the friendship, further reducing the sufferer’s social confidence.
Sufferers may have a sense that they have lost their own identity. They feel that they are defined only by their home environment and those around them. If they never express an opinion and rarely join in a conversation, then for all anyone knows they don’t have an identity. A social phobic is only too aware of this painful reality.
There are also more than missed social interactions to worry about. Sufferers tend to be in low socio-economic groups and get passed over for promotions. Employers often perceive them to be lacking drive. Social phobics, being more subject to anxiety-related illnesses, live shorter lives than the general population. Constant concern about looking foolish eventually takes its toll in stress, with the associated blood pressure and heart risks.
Very few sufferers will recover if left untreated. The disorder, being a learned behavior, does not go away of its own accord. It may appear to go into a sort of remission, especially when background anxiety is low. For most sufferers, though, it is a constant damper on almost any social interaction.
Unfortunately, it appears that millions around the world are suffering in their accustomed silence, not realizing that treatment is available. A lack of money may mean that a therapist is out of the question, and even if medication is subsidized, this will not be a real solution for most sufferers.
The Good News
The good news is that many treatment programs now exist, many in the form of self-help books. Sue Breton’s Panic Attacks is an excellent program (for any anxiety disorder) in book form. Finding a program that suits both the sufferer and their budget is now usually just a matter of persistence.
Cognitive-behavioral programs have an excellent success rate. Seventy-five percent of sufferers report them helpful, and only seventeen percent have any sort of relapse. Compared with most other mental disorders, these figures are very encouraging.
However, unlearning old habits can take a long time, sometimes years. Sufferers are encouraged to challenge themselves slowly, taking time to reflect on each success and learning experience. If the process is hurried, the sufferer risks losing their confidence even more, or suffering a relapse later.
All rights reserved.