Phobic neurosis, also known as phobias and phobias, is an anxiety disorder characterized by persistent terror of particular objects, activities, or situations. The common features of phobias are.
1, certain objects or situations often cause intense fear.
2, fear is often accompanied by significant autonomic symptoms, such as dizziness, fainting, palpitations, panic, trembling, sweating, etc.
3, extreme avoidance of the feared objects and situations.
4. the patient knows that the fear is excessive or unnecessary, but cannot control it.
5, feeling nervous and uneasy when anticipating the possibility of encountering the feared object or situation.
The onset of social phobia is often in adolescents, mostly between the ages of 17 and 30, and often has a sudden onset with no apparent trigger. The course of the disease is chronic and rarely remits, and although avoidance of the environment may reduce symptoms, symptomatic features may persist. Symptoms can be somatic, cognitive, and behavioral. Common somatic symptoms are flushing, palpitations, tremors, abdominal discomfort, and muscle tension. Common cognitive and emotional symptoms include unpleasant thoughts about the environment, and blocked thinking and difficulty concentrating. Patients are concerned about symptoms being noticed. Behavioral abnormalities such as difficulty talking to others, becoming silent or avoiding glances occur.
The main clinical manifestations are the fear of being in full view of people and having everyone watching them; or the fear of making a fool of oneself in public, putting oneself in an embarrassing or embarrassing situation, and therefore the fear of public speaking or acting, the fear of eating in public, the fear of going to a public toilet to relieve oneself, the fear of not being able to control shaking when writing in public, or the fear of stammering and not being able to answer in social situations. Fear of blushing and being seen, and therefore anxiety (naked face phobia). Fear of staring at people, or thinking that the afterglow of the eyes is spying on others, thus making them anxious (confrontation phobia). Fear of meeting strangers or familiar people in public is known as “personophobia. Fear of meeting people of the opposite sex is called heterophobia.
Most people with social phobia have a fear of only one or few social interactions or public performances, called specific social phobia. They can generally be completely asymptomatic and their anxiety symptoms only appear when they fear they will encounter a feared social situation or enter a feared scenario. At this time, patients feel varying degrees of tension, anxiety and fear, often accompanied by blushing, sweating and dry mouth and other autonomic symptoms; especially shy blushing is the most prominent autonomic manifestations of social phobia. In severe cases of social phobia, panic attacks can be induced by extreme stress. Fear of social situations is very extensive cases, called extensive social phobia. Such patients are often afraid to go out, afraid to interact with people, or even long-term social life, unable to work.
In terms of medication, the tricyclic antidepressants mipramine and clomipramine are effective for social phobia and can reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms. Currently, Celete is the only SSRI currently approved for the treatment of social phobia in the world.
Psychotherapy also plays a pivotal role in the treatment of the disease. Psychotherapy is a professional process of interpersonal support aimed at helping people. The therapist influences the patient or other helpers through verbal and non-verbal means to induce positive changes in psychological and somatic functioning for the purpose of treating the disease and promoting recovery. Psychotherapy is not like an internal medicine treatment for the flu, where one dose of medicine can cure the disease. The most concise short course of treatment requires 8 to 10 sessions of 30 to 45 minutes each. Once a therapeutic relationship is formed, the visitor must be committed. Only by actively admitting your confusion and problems and accepting his help, you have to have a psychological mind and make an effort to be aware and analyze yourself in every moment of your life, looking for a different way of dealing with problems and accepting a different perspective, instead of just waiting for the psychotherapist to do something, because if you are not committed, the psychotherapist will have to wait. When you face the psychotherapist, you have to tell him the different inner experience and effect of the same situation under the new approach and perspective, so that you can form a good interaction with the psychotherapist.
The general procedure is to increase tolerance to fear by gradually incrementing the social situation, thus achieving the effect of eliminating the social fear response. First, it is important to keep telling yourself that this fear can be eliminated. And the correct understanding of the procedures of human interaction, understanding the methods of interaction with people. Second, find out the kinds of things that create social fear in yourself and try to tap into the deep roots of the mind. Then, in an imaginary space, constantly simulate the scenario in which social phobia occurs, constantly practice repeating the episode in which the symptom occurs, and constantly encourage yourself to face this scenario bravely in order to adapt to this environment that generates anxiety and tension from the imaginary. Finally, compulsive therapy is used, with small and gradual steps. Start by standing in a street with a lot of traffic; adapt and reduce the number of people and shop in a mall; then reduce the number of people again and attend some large gatherings; then attend small gatherings and try to express your point of view; and finally associate with people you are very afraid of and always give yourself rewards. Using this approach and practicing it regularly and constantly will make a big difference.
Personal opinion: Behavioral therapy is the preferred method of treatment for social phobia. Systematic desensitization therapy and exposure therapy work well for social phobia. In the early stages of treatment, medication can be considered in conjunction with psychotherapy can receive better results. The following psychological treatment methods are used.
1, situational therapy
In a hypothetical space, constantly simulate the occurrence of social phobia scenarios, constantly practice the repetition of the symptoms of the episode, learn to face the scene, from the hypothetical adaptation to the environment that produces anxiety and tension.
2, focus on the method
In social situations, do not have to be overly concerned about the impression they leave on others, to know that they are just a small person, will not attract excessive attention, the correct approach is to learn to focus on what they have to do is right.
3, the head of a question method when the psychological too nervous or anxious, you may want to head of a question: bad again can be bad to where? And what can I lose in the end? The worst outcome will be what? It’s just a matter of going back to the beginning again, what’s the big deal! Figure this out, everything will become easier.
4, the pendulum method: in order to overcome fear, the heart may wish to think: the pendulum to swing to this side, you must first to the other side of the force. I blush big deal like a red cloth; what’s the big deal about my heartbeat, I still want to jump faster than a rock and roll drumbeat! As a result, people will find that the actual situation is far less serious than originally thought, so the attention was diverted to the main topic.
5, systematic desensitization method: If you are faced with a girl you love, you can use a step-by-step approach to overcome the psychological barriers. First resolve to look at her clothes; look at her face and eyes; smile at her; take the initiative to talk to her when a friend is around; have the courage to contact her alone. This method of avoiding direct collisions with sensitive centers makes an otherwise seemingly difficult social behavior easier, and this method generally has an immediate effect on mild social phobias.