Social Phobia - Anxiety Disorder - Research Paper Example

?Introduction The disorder that I have chosen for this research paper is Social Phobia. It usually develops at an early age and is something that canbe easily understood and related to by people of our age group. According to Richards (n.d) epidemiological studies social anxiety disorder is rated as the third largest psychological disorder in the USA. Social Phobia Social Phobia also known as social anxiety disorder is defined on the criteria in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (Clinical Psychology Associates of North Central Florida). It is a persistent fear of being scrutinized or humiliated in public. This leads to extreme anxiety and a compelling desire to avoid such situations. When avoidance of such situation is impossible it results in intense distress and discomfort for the individual. Signs and symptoms of social phobia may include sweating, uncontrollable trembling, blushing, quickened heart beat, and feeling of nausea and stomach discomfort. Research Articles “Incidence of social phobia and identification of its risk indicators: a model for prevention”. By Acarturk C, Smit F, de Graaf R, van Straten A, ten Have M, Cuijpers P. Source: Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica; Jan2009, Vol.119 Issue 1, p62-70, 9p, 3 “Over-representation of Myers Briggs type indicator introversion in social phobia patients”. By David S. Janowsky, M.D., Shirley Morter, and Manuel Tancer,M.D. Source: Depression & Anxiety (1091-4269); 2000, Vol. 11Issue 3, p121-125, 5p, 2 Research Summaries The study (Acarturk, Smit, Graaf, Straten , Have and Cuijpers, 2009) highlights some occurrences that have been found consistently in patients who later suffer from social phobias they are termed as the risk indicators in the article. It is stated that social phobia is a very common disorder having a life time prevalence rate ranging from 4% to 13% and new cases of social phobia are observed in 9 per 1000 person- year. It is generally linked with youth, females, low income and low education level groups. The research was conducted in twelve provinces of Netherlands and diagnoses were based on DSM-III-R Axis I. Risk factors were chosen on the basis of their strength of association with incidence of social phobia and the reduction in cases of social phobia that were observed if their adverse effects were stopped. The factors studied include psychiatric history of person, psychiatric history of parents, socio-demographic factors, current stressors, childhood traumas and personality traits. The second research article (Janowsky, David, Morter, Shirley and Tancer, 2000) aims at profiling the personalities of patients with social phobia. It further describes how personality traits of introversion may play a significant role in the development of social phobia for the patients. The research was conducted on sixteen patients suffering from social phobia. They were compared using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator with 24 hospitalized Major Depressive Disorder patients and a normative population of 55,971. MBTI divided the sample into eight dichotomous categories; Extroverted versus Introverted, Thinking versus Feeling, Sensing versus Intuitive and Judging versus Perceiving. Score of 100 represented the cut point between the two factors of each dichotomy. Scores of less than 100 were linked to Sensing, Extroverted, Thinking and Judging poles while numbers greater than hundred represented Intuitive, Introverted, feeling and perceiving behavior types. Comparison In the risk indicator study (Acarturk et al., 2009) personality traits that were observed on the basis of Mastery and self esteem were found to be very good risk indicators. Low mastery, where a person has minimum internal locus of control and low self esteem are perceived as leading traits in the development of social phobia. In the same way Janowsky et al. (2000) concludes that patients suffering with social phobia were found to have greater harm-avoidance scale scores and reduced reward –dependence scale scores along with low innovation seeking scores compared to normal people. This is further reinforced by the study of risk indicators (Acarturk et al., 2009) which concluded that social phobic people tend to be less confident in their own ability and have a lower self esteem. They do not try new things because they lack mastery and attribute success to external factors rather than their own skill. No significant differences in other traits like thinking, feeling, intuition, sensing perceiving and judging between healthy humans and social phobia patients were found in the research (Janowsky et al., 2000). This complements the risk indicator study (Acarturk et al., 2009) that too stated that socio-demographic variables did not have profound influence in the development of social phobia. Low education levels were the only exception to it that did have some effect. Research study (Janowsky et al., 2000) on Introversion states that patients suffering from social phobia usually also suffer from major depression. It further claims that introversion may be an underlying reason for both depressive disorder and social phobia. At the same time the article (Acarturk et al., 2009) on risk factors highlights the effect of life stressors that cause depression and also lead to social phobia. Hence depression is both a risk indicator and a symptom of social phobia. Relationship problems, occupational issues and other conflicting social life problems play a significant role in leading to and detection of social phobia. It was also stated that emotional neglect and childhood trauma are significant risk indicators that lead to the symptoms of social phobia becoming evident (Acarturk et al., 2009). Regardless of emotional neglect’s high contribution to social phobia, it is a factor that is difficult to control and hence not a viable starting point for preventative measures for social phobia. This was further confirmed by the research (Janowsky et al., 2000) on social phobia patients which reinforced that highly introverted children might be at a risk of developing social phobia as well as anxiety and depression. Analysis It is interesting to note that both studies take different perspectives to explain the prospective social phobia causing agents. They believe both genetic (shyness, introversion trait of personality (Janowsky et al., 2000) and environmental factors (childhood trauma, stressors) act as triggers of the social phobia in healthy individuals (Acarturk et al., 2009). Both studies presented similar definitions of social phobia, though Janowsky et al. (2000) included the word ‘distress’ as well .Distress here is different from anxiety and has a negative connotation highlighting the extent of the sufferer’s discomfort. It is seen from these studies that social phobia’s risk factors are usually observed at a young age. They must be assessed thoroughly and any prospects leading to social phobia must be instantly eliminated. It can be concluded that social phobia is easier to prevent from developing rather than curing afterwards. It is also very difficult for social phobic individuals to do anything without their fear interfering in every walk of life with every step they take. Cure Social phobia can be cured both by medication and by therapies. Medicines like Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and Paroxetine monoamine oxidase (MAOIs) can be used. A well known drug high-potency benzodiazepines can also be administered (WebMD, 2011). Specific psychotherapy called cognitive-behavioral therapy can also be done (Hauser, 2006). Systematic desensitization is also practiced in some cases. Examples and conclusion Some famous personalities have also suffered from social phobia. Barbra Streisand forgot the lyrics to a song once and did not perform publicly for nearly 30 years. Ricky Williams a professional footballer suffered with social phobia throughout his career in the NFL. He used to leave his helmet on during interviews. Olympic gold medalist swimmer Susie O'Neill also suffered from social phobia as well (Cunic, 2011). Hence people with social phobia must not be discouraged and should seek ailment as it is curable. References Acarturk C, Smit F, de Graaf R, van Straten A, ten Have M, Cuijpers P. Incidence of social phobia and identification of its risk indicators: a model for prevention”. Psychiatrica Scandinavica; Jan2009, Vol.119 Issue 1, p62-70, 9p, 3 Clinical Psychology Associates of North Central Florida.(n.d). Social Anxiety Disorder: Definition and Manifestations. Clinical Psychology Associates of North Central Florida  CPANCF.COM. Retrieved on Feburary 29, 2012, from http://cpancf.com/articles_files/SocialAnxietyDisorderWhatIs.asp Cunic, Arlin. (2011). Celebrities With Social Anxiety. About.com: Need, Know, Accomplish. Retrieved February 28, 2012, from http://socialanxietydisorder.about. com/od/celebritieswithsad/tp/celebritySAD.htm Hauser, J. (2006). Treatments for Social Phobia. Psych Central. Retrieved on Feburary 29, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/treatments-for-social-phobia/ Janowsky, David S. M.D. Morter, Shirley and Tancer, Maneul M.D. Over-representation of Myers Briggs type indicator introversion in social phobia patients.: Depression & Anxiety (1091-4269); 2000, Vol. 11Issue 3, p121-125, 5p, 2 Richards, Thomas A. (n.d). Definition of Social Anxiety Disorder. The Social Anxiety Network. Retrieved February 28, 2012, from http://www.social-anxiety-network.com/define.html WebMD. (2011). Definition of Social phobia. MedicineNet.com. Retrieved February 28, 2012, from http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11709 Read More