An anxiety disorder is much more than being very nervous or edgy. An anxious person will report an unreasonable exaggeration of threats, repetitive negative thinking, hyper-arousal, and a strong identification with fear. The fight-or-flight response kicks into overdrive. Anxiety is also known for producing noticeable physical symptoms, such as rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, and […]
Imaging Helps Predict Anxiety Patients Who May Benefit From CBT Neuroimaging may prove useful for predicting which patients with social anxiety disorder will profit most from cognitive-behavioral therapy. Neuroimaging may prove useful for predicting which patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) are likely to gain the most benefit from cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), suggests a study […]
Scientists discover functional control strategies in emotional circuits of people with social phobia. Fear is a protective function against possible dangers that is designed to save our lives. Where there are problems with this fear mechanism, its positive effects are cancelled out: patients who have a social phobia become afraid of perfectly normal, everyday social […]
Thinking Out Loud! Writing this has been difficult and posting it, even more so. The very act of writing in a public forum, even anonymously, frightens me a lot. As someone with social anxiety, I have a fear (that I know is excessive) of being judged and criticised by others, especially strangers. The fact that, […]
Panic attacks became an all too regular part of my life, but the underlying cause was a lack of confidence. writes Claire Byrne WINDOW OF HOPE: Claire Byrne has been attending counselling and cannot recommend it enough ‘As painful and terrifying as they were, I felt better after a panic attack, and I always had […]
Some tips to spot when social anxiety disorders in a child are serious. Shyness can make childhood difficult, but most grow up and out of it. However, for children with social anxiety disorder waiting to outgrow it will only make things worse. But what is the difference between being an introvert and having this disorder? […]