Social Anxiety Disorder

Often Goes Untreated, Experts Say

NEW YORK — Social anxiety disorder is more common than previously thought, but it is left untreated in more than 90 percent of cases, according to experts speaking at a press conference on Tuesday.

People with the disorder, also known as social phobia, have an intense fear of social situations — including meetings and dates — due to anxiety about being judged by others.

Although it is the most common anxiety disorder, and the third most common psychiatric disorder in the U.S. (after alcoholism and depression), social phobia has received little attention until recently.

Common symptoms include rapid heartbeat, trembling, sweating, tense muscles, upset stomach, and blushing. In some cases, the symptoms may be severe enough to result in a panic attack.

The exact biochemical basis for social anxiety disorder is not fully understood, but there is evidence that, in addition to psychological factors, an imbalance of the brain chemical serotonin may play a role, according to the speakers.

It is estimated that only 5 percent of patients with social anxiety disorder receive some form of treatment. Current effective treatments include psychotherapy, drug therapy, or a combination of the two.

"It wasn't until the late 1980s that the first papers in scientific journals were published identifying social anxiety disorder as a discrete disorder, and yet over 10 million Americans are currently affected by this disorder," Jerilyn Ross, president of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, said at the briefing.

Social anxiety disorder is not just shyness, said Dr. David Sheehan, professor of psychiatry at the University of South Florida, but "many steps beyond shyness." People with this disorder have so intense a fear of embarrassment or humiliation that they may order their lives around avoiding situations that involve meeting strangers, speaking in public, dealing with authority figures, attending parties, or signing their name in front of others.

"It's the associated disability in their lives that differentiates this from normal shyness," Sheehan said. The disorder has also been linked to an increased risk of substance abuse. Patients may turn to alcohol and drugs as coping mechanisms.

Women are more likely to develop social anxiety disorder. Some studies suggest that the disorder may be inherited, Sheehan said.

Social trauma can cause the disorder to 'flare up' in someone who is predisposed to it. "If a child is called on in school and he is shy to begin with, and the teacher berates him for a poor performance, then that may aggravate the existing symptoms," explained Sheehan.

The conference, funded by SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, was sponsored by the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, the American Psychiatric Association, and the consumer group Freedom From Fear.

------------

February 24, 1999

© 1999, News America Digital Publishing, Inc. d/b/a Fox News Online.

© 1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved.   © Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved

~ ~ ~

 

~ ~ ~