Social phobia


A paralyzing fear of interacting with others. Symptoms include excessive blushing, sweating, trembling, rapid heartbeat, muscle tension, nausea, and extreme anxiety. Social phobia can occur in very young children or emerge at a later age. It can be disabling to a person’s work and social and family relationships. Many people with social phobia have trouble reaching their educational and professional goals or even maintaining employment. They may depend on others financially and try to relieve anxiety by using alcohol and drugs. In extreme cases, a person with social phobia may begin to avoid all social situations and become housebound. Treatment options include using medications and cognitive-behavioral therapy, which employs exposure and response prevention. Medications for social phobias include antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), as well as high-potency benzodiazepenes. People with the specific form of social phobia called performance phobia may be helped with drugs called beta blockers.

Read Also:

  • Social psychology

    The study of the mind and mental processes, particularly as regards social interactions, focusing on the ways our actions influence others, and vice versa. Social psychology is a hybrid discipline, a fusion product of sociology and psychology. (In contrast to psychology’s atomization of the human condition, looking into the self and its inner workings, the […]

  • Social worker, clinical

    Licensed clinical social worker.

  • Socialized medicine

    A medical system like that of a socialist country, in which medical facilities and payments are under government, rather than private, control. Most industrialized nations, including the US, have medical systems under some combination of state and private control. For examples, socialized medicine is practiced in Canada and Britain.

  • Sociogenomics

    The identification of the genes that influence social behavior, the understanding of the influence of these genes on underlying neural and endocrine mechanisms, and the exploration of the effects of the environment — particularly the social environment — on gene action. The term “sociogenomics” is a new one. Sociogenomics is related to the established field […]

  • Sociopath

    A term once used for someone with what is now called antisocial personality disorder.


Disclaimer: Social phobia definition / meaning should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. All content on this website is for informational purposes only.