Response
Social Anxiety Disorder
The psychological disorder I have chosen to talk about is social anxiety disorder. The symptom I find most difficult about this disorder is the overwhelming fear of being humiliated by people around them. (World Health Organization 1992; American Psychiatric Association 2013). I find it to be a difficult symptom because it causes that person to fear and miss opportunities in life, both personal and professional. If it were me, I would struggle to see others take chances in life without a care for the opinions or ridicule from others and not be able to do so myself. What seem like simple tasks to most, like going out to dinner or getting together for a work gathering can be debilitating, because you’re consumed about the fear of embarrassing yourself or just having people look at you.
Treatment options include cognitive behavioral therapies, cognitive behavioral group therapy, social effectiveness therapy, and skills for academic success. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a general form of therapy, not specifically tailored for those with social anxiety, but proven effective. Cognitive behavioral group therapy consists of social and anxiety management and exposure therapy with positive results. Social effectiveness therapy is another group therapy treatment like the one mentioned previously. Both were created specifically for those with social anxiety disorder. Skills for academic success is a version of social effectiveness therapy modified for use in schools on school-aged children but proven to not be as effective as the other methods. All treatment options show themselves to be beneficial, but only a means to learn how to live with the disorder, not a cure. It is encouraging to see the treatment options are unmedicated ones and help guide the individual with ways to manage the disorder as it is the way that I would go about treatment for myself if I had too.
Reference
Leigh, E.,