Social Anxiety

At some point, everybody will feel uncomfortable social situations, but for some people, social anxiety can feel crippling.

Interacting with other people is unavoidable when living in a vibrant city like Johannesburg. Social anxiety makes those interactions extremely uncomfortable, to the point where you'd do anything to avoid them. The nervousness you may experience in social situations can be improved dramatically with therapy.

Symptoms of Social Anxiety

Symptoms of Social Anxiety are:

A persistent fear of social or performance situations in which you are exposed to unfamiliar people or possible scrutiny by others. Typically accompanied by the fear that you will act in a way that will be embarrassing.

• Exposure to the situation results in a Panic Attack.
• You recognise that this fear is unreasonable or excessive.
• Situations are either wholly avoided or endured with intense distress.
• The avoidance, anticipation, or anxiety in the social or performance situation interferes significantly with your routine, occupational functioning, social functioning or relationships.
• The fear, anxiety, or avoidance is consistent, typically lasting for six or more months.
• The fear or avoidance can't be attributed to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., drugs, medications), a medical condition or another mental disorder.