Key Term Video: Social Anxiety.

Shades of Noir

Edited by Iga Sokolowska

Shades of Noir ‘Key Terms’ video exploring the concept of Social Anxiety.

Social Anxiety is a mental health disorder which causes overwhelming fear of social situations.

It is NOT just shyness.

Individuals who suffer it have to deal with debilitating thoughts, panic attacks and it affects their everyday life and relationships.

Social anxiety can have a detrimental effect on work/school performance.

Affected individuals have a heightened risk of leaving school early and obtaining poorer qualifications.

They are also less likely to marry and more likely to divorce.

However, those symptoms are preventable with the right treatment and support.

Social anxiety qualifies for professional therapy, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and antidepressant medicine.

Unfortunately, due to the stigmatisation of mental health services and lack of information, only half of the affected individuals ever seek treatment.

To reduce those factors, attitudes need to be changed through education. Examples include public service messages, support groups, provision of books on the topic of mental health and popularisation of services such as Mind, providing free self-help services and educational resources.