Social Anxiety (Scopophobia)

This type of anxiety/phobia is more common than one could imagine.

Social Anxiety (Scopophobia) can be summarised briefly as a fear of being 'on the spot' in social situations.

This can include various symptoms but particularly feeling humiliated, judged or embarrassed.

Recently. a report in the United States concluded that up to 13% of the adult population suffer from Social Anxiety throughout their life.

The the mental health 'bible' (D.S.M. IV) lists social anxiety as: "A 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/she will act in a way that will be humiliating or embarrassing." The following can be classified as symptoms of Social Anxiety Blushing, or fear of blushing, sweating and feeling dizzy, lack of confidence, stuttering or stammering, fear of doing presentations, public speaking nerves, fear of talking on the phone, feeling inferior, fear of talking, feeling embarrassed in from of other people, fear of eating out in public, fear of being humiliated, not being able to urinate (men) otherwise known as shy bladder or paruresis

What does this type of phobia / anxiety feel like?
Social anxiety is performance related, so anybody suffering from social anxiety will feel at their worst when under the scrutiny of others: phone calls; events; presentations; signing documents in front of someone; eating out in front of people; conversations; meeting people; urinating in front of other people (men, see below); speaking up in meetings; being put 'on the spot' e.g. somebody shouting your name in the supermarket when you least expect it and much more... For the social phobic, dinner parties, shopping, meeting people or eating out can become a real nightmare. Symptoms often include intense feelings of a fear of rejection, panic attacks, feelings of inferiority and worrying about how others 'see' you.

Blushing, feeling 'silly', lack of confidence, stuttering or lack of eye contact are also common in social anxiety. The person specifically fears showing anxiety symptoms or behaving in some way that will be embarrassing or humiliating.

Sufferers often worry for days, sometimes weeks, about an up and coming event, even an occasion that should be enjoyable. There is often a persistent fear of meeting people, and social phobics usually let others dominate conversation so that their thoughts or opinions are not ridiculed. Ironically the symptoms may be worse with friends rather than strangers because of a fear of being judged by them.

Physical sensations can include heart pounding, hot flushes, blushing, numbness or sweating, feeling dizzy, paruresis (shy bladder syndrome) in men, feeling light headed, or out of control. As with all phobias or anxiety any current stress, for example work pressure, will increase those feelings and symptoms. Hot flushes & blushing One of the most common marked symptoms in social anxiety particularly with females is blushing. This usually starts on the neck or chest and rapidly spreads to the face. The blushing is often worse when there are a lot of people or there is a feeling of being watched.

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