Image taken on 2007-07-26 06:06:36 by scholz.

Social phobia is a severe form of shyness, a disorder also known as social anxiety. People with social phobia are often reluctant to admit that they have the symptoms because they fear being ridiculed about their psychological condition.

Making a patient feel more at ease:

If the caregivers of a patient want their loved one to be more comfortable admitting to having social phobia, they may try expressing sympathy about the patient and his condition. For example, a patient who dreads attending parties may feel better if he is told by his sister: I feel uncomfortable at parties sometimes too. It helps to have allies.

Another way is to provide articles from periodicals and other publications, even medical brochures,lying around where the patient usually likes to sit or stay during the day. He will most likely read them when no one is looking. Leave it to the patient to warm up to the possibility of being eventually treated.

Treating social phobia:

Unfortunately, there is no cure for social phobia but the good news is that its symptoms can be successfully treated. It is important for the patient to be diligent about treatment because neglecting treatment may result in a resurgence of the symptoms.

Psychological treatment has been proven to be one way to treat social phobia, particularly the method known as cognitive behavior therapy. This form of psychological treatment is known to be used not just for social phobia, but a host of other psychological problems as well. Cognitive behavior therapy involves the two components of relaxation therapy and exposure therapy.

Cognitive behavior therapy:

The treatment initially requires the psychologist to initiate probing questions, such as what specific social situations cause his symptoms to flare up, and how he reacts to those social situations. The patient is guided towards identification of thoughts and behaviors which trigger the symptoms. Afterwards, the psychologist can begin teaching effective coping strategies to the patient.

Cognitive behavior therapy might be done on an individual basis or within a group setting. If cognitive behavior therapy is done properly, social phobia can be reduced in severity in time.

Exercise:

Physical exertion has been revealed to be another option for treatment of social phobia. It works because helps the patient to lose his anxiety, stress and tension which would otherwise remain trapped within him. A social phobia patient who regularly exercises may feel calmer and happier afterwards. The patient may also feel better about himself because his level of physical fitness goes up.

Alternative treatment options:

Aromatherapy might be selected as one alternative treatment option. The patient may select scents which leave him feeling less stressed after use.

Doctors may also choose to recommend certain medication for severe cases of shyness/social phobia. However, drugs do not eliminate the root causes of social phobia, they only eliminate some symptoms. Some popular medication which are used are beta blockers, anti-depressants, and tranquilizers. The problem with using medication of any kind though is that they may have undesirable side effects.

All you have to do is turn on the TV, radio and the internet to hear about drugs that have gone wrong. One look at the list of the “possible side effects” of many modern drugs will usually make us decided that perhaps you just want to keep what you already are suffering with as it looks much better than what you might get from the drugs that are made to treat it. Where are some Natural Anxiety Relief treatments? Even if you do decided to take one of the modern wonder pills, the prices are high and the co pays if you are lucky enough to even have insurance, let alone drug coverage, add up fast. Add on the time consuming trips to the doctors to get the prescriptions, and the time and gas costs to get to the doctors office and these prescriptions drugs start adding up to big money, and big inconvenience. This is all without the inconvenience of finding a drug store that has that drug in stock, driving there and waiting in line only to be told that they can only give you some of the drug today as they do not have enough on hand, and you will have to come back tomorrow to pick up the rest.

What is even more ironic is when you are trying to treat anxiety with a natural anxiety relief product you end up in frustration instead. The very process or getting and taking pills to treat this condition is enough to make you need a higher dose than before you went to the doctors office in the first place. So what are you to do? Many feel skeptical about using natural remedies, but these very natural remedies are what the drug companies research and they are the origins of modern pharmacology. The life saving drug digitalis has been used to treat heart conditions for hundreds of years. It was first described in writing as a treatment for heart in 1785 and it remains an important drug today. There are many amazing therapies and treatments that are natural to treat many common problems, like anxiety.

How can you tell what will work for you and be safe? What will be safe, but effective? The safest treatments, especially for long term use, combine a natural approach with scientific research. Therapies and treatments that are convenient, easy to use, discreet, non habit forming and that make sense to you. There is no reason to suffer needlessly with anxiety. Solutions that are natural, safe, and effective have now become easier to find. With more people demanding them, natural treatments are getting the attention and even the research they need to become even more effective.

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What are some lessons you’ve learned “the hard way”? How far have you come, how are you still struggling, and how would you recommend others tackle their own fears with public speaking?