As a child, Kyle was very outspoken, funny and adventurous. His friends used to call him the “talkative”. He changed so much during his adolescence. He became overly self-conscious and concerned about other people’s opinions about him. He became very shy and reserved. He stopped talking and answering questions in class. He believed that if he spoke to people, they would judge how he looked, dressed or even spoke. He was afraid that people would reject and humiliate him and therefore did everything in his power to avoid having conversations. In school he would avoid any situation which would lead to an interaction with his peers. He went to class earlier than his classmates. He left for lunch break after everyone had left. He avoided eating in the canteen; he would sneak his food into the washroom to eat. He made it a point to walk home alone all the time. On occasions where he had to work in a group for an assignment, he avoided eye contact with the other students. The few times he had interactions, he trembled, had heart palpitations, he was confused and dizzy and had a full panic attack.
Symptoms: They are anxious at social gatherings. They are afraid of being rejected or judged or humiliated. In social situations they may develop full panic attacks. They reduce their anxiety by avoiding eye contact and social gatherings. They excessively rehearse what they would say in an interaction. The quality of their interactions are reduced because they fail to self-disclose.
Causes: Genetics play a role in social anxiety. Genes do not exactly cause social anxiety disorder but it gives you the tendency to be anxious in situations. People have excessive high standards for their social performance, that is, they believe that they should be liked by everyone. People with this disorder evaluate their body harshly. They also notice potentially threatening social cues such as a grimace on an individual’s face and misinterpret these cues in self-defeating ways. Most children who develop this disorder have parents who are over protective, controlling, critical and negative.
MentalMondays by Akwama
MentalMondays by Akwama 