They are afraid that they will embarrass or humiliate themselves in front of people when they meet them. This can seriously interfere with daily life such as school, work, relationships, and activities of daily living. Even though most people with social anxiety disorder know they're feeling are not valid and excessive they cannot seem to manage or control them. When they are at function that they have to attend they can worry for months or weeks waiting for the dreadful day.

Social anxiety disorder can range in its behavior. Some individuals may only suffer from a specific fear such as eating or drinking, speaking, or writing if others are around or watching. Some people have a fear or going to the bathroom in a public restroom. This can be as serious as causing physical sickness or weakness to the bladder because of the anxiety involved, while some people are fearful in all social situations and is never comfortable.

The normal daily activities that most people take for granted are so horrifying and worrisome of social phobias it can be physically debilitating. This illness can cause people to miss work or school if they fear they will have to get up and be seen or noticed. Many persons with social phobia may have problems with relationships and can find it very difficult to meet and keep friends. Even when the person has friends they may not be able to enjoy going out with them or being with them in large crowds of other people who might be less known. Here are 5 of the most common symptoms they include:

1. Blushes often in social situations.

2. Profuse sweating when anxious.

3. Trembling when approached or spoke to.

4. Nausea as anxiety increases and possibly vomiting.

5. Extreme difficulty talking.

You may be extremely embarrassed by all of these symptoms if you have social phobia. It can feel like there are million people watching you all the time and you can't get away. You might not even be able to stand being around your own family for fear of ridicule and rejection.

This is a common irrational fear that with out medication cannot be controlled. Even if you tried to face what fears you have the anxiety level before can be almost debilitating and can linger through out the whole experience. The anxiety can also linger afterwards and keep you feeling scared and anxious for weeks or months. Affecting approximately 5.3 million American adults with men and women being affected equally, social phobia usually starts to develop in childhood or the early teens.

There is belief that social anxiety disorder can also be hereditary so if a family member has it you are at a higher risk of developing it as well. Because of the nature and the severity anxiety people with this disorder have a higher risk of self-medicating with drugs and alcohol to try to relax and calm down. This only leads to worse problems and possibly addiction. To treat this disease one need to see a doctor and seek psychotherapy and/or medications.

There is hope and treatment for those persons who suffer with social anxiety disorder. There have been more and more drugs capable of helping control the feelings the ones that suffers with it. The antidepressants Paxil and Effexor are excellent and wide used to help those who suffer from social phobia. It can take two to four weeks for the medications to start to take effect and it can also take some time to find the right dosage that works the best with the least side effects.

In conclusion, the user needs to always follow the instructions on the prescription and take the medication every day. If the side effects are too bad or there is no improvement in four weeks the individual should call their doctor. Many patients will have to continue medications for months, years, or even a lifetime. Another important aspect is therapy. Most doctors use cognitive-behavioral therapy that changes the individual's cognitive thinking patterns to help them eventually face fear in all social situations without debilitating.