Social phobia is a recurrent and chronic fear or dread of any social setting where one is subject to observation and possible judgment by others.
The social phobic person may feel that any behavior or actions undertaken on their part will lead to embarrassment or negative opinions by the other people around them.
This makes it hard for that person to do normal everyday social activities such as making friends, dating, going to social events, eating at restaurants, and making phone calls.
Needless to say, social phobia diminishes the quality of life greatly.
Thankfully, there are a variety of treatment options available for social phobia nowadays.
Traditionally, medication has been one of the cornerstones to attempt to treat this disease, with a range of results from noticeably reduced symptoms to serious side effects.
Though treatment through medication tends to work well it actually produces results, it tends to cause other issues when it is not effective.
Some of the commonly reported side effects include muscle aches, nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea, memory loss, sexual dysfunction, and a loss of ability to feel emotion.
Since the positive or negative effects of medications depend on the individual patient, you should have a talk with your mental health care practitioner or doctor before you undertake this course of social anxiety treatment.
The good news is, there are less risky ways to treat social phobia these days as well.
Behavior therapy is one such way.
The aim in this case is to intercept and modify undesired behavior.
The patient with social anxiety gradually learns to deal with settings that are initially hard to handle.
Over time, the patient undergoes many "baby steps" and gains a sense of real control over their lives.
Though it can be uncomfortable at times, behavior therapy has been shown to be effective, especially in conjunction with a step-by-step course to follow.
Cognitive therapy is often closely related to behavior therapy.
The aim in this case is to reduce or alter a negative mindset.
The patient gradually learns to recognize thoughts that are grounded in reality from those that occur because of negative self-talk.
Just like in behavior therapy, the patient takes active control of his or her own treatment.
A combination of behavior and cognitive therapy is known as cognitive-behavior therapy, or CBT, and is one of the most effective social phobia treatments available today.
There are alternative treatment options for social anxiety as well.
Hypnosis and meditation techniques are some of these options offered.
However, their effectiveness has yet to be determined scientifically.
Be sure to take care when exploring these options so you don't waste your time.
If you have social phobia and are attempting to seek treatment, know that social anxiety is a highly treatable disorder.
You can get immediate help, and start taking steps right away to beat this disease.
Self-help is also a very viable option -- you can start helping yourself by undertaking treatments such as cognitive or behavior therapy without having to consult a professional therapist, as long as you have a proven methodology to follow.
Check out various resources on the Internet and read about others' experiences in treating their social phobia to get more insight.