Question:
I suffer panic attacks, but I wonder if
anyone can help with my particular problem. It's all about being with strangers. It doesn't happen in the street,
supermarket, anywhere of that nature where I don't have to interact.
It's more if I walk into either a restaurant, bar, parties-the type of
place where people look up to see who's arriving. I also cannot speak
publicly in front of strangers.
Answer:
I think you have Social Anxiety Disorder which can be debilitating but I
can assure you that you're not the only one by any stretch of the
imagination!
It can be treated, especially with a combo of medication and therapy.
Like alcohol *benzodizapeines* also are CNS depressants and may take
away some of your social inhibitions and without the danger of hangovers.
It would be wise to see a psychiatrist to get properly diagnosed and
maybe prescribed a benzo like Xanax.
Moreover, you might want to look into *Cognitive Behavioral Therapy*
(CBT), which has been proven to be very successful for anxiety disorders
and it can help a lot with Social Phobia. It is mostly done by a
clinical psychologist.
Read up on it at http://www.cognitivetherapy.com
For most people, these kinds of fears and inhibitions do not cause
significant impairment or distress. However, for a small proportion of the
population, perhaps as many as 15%, fears of this type assume more
serious proportions at some point in their lives. When this happens, we
refer to the condition as social anxiety disorder (SAD), or social phobia.
This common condition has lifetime prevalence rates just behind those of
major depression and alcohol dependence.
SAD is characterized by the following symptoms:
* There is a marked and persistent fear of situations in which a person
is exposed to unfamiliar people or possible scrutiny by others. There
is a fear by the person that he or she will act in a way that will be
embarrassing or humiliating.
* Exposure to the feared situations almost always provokes anxiety.
* The fear is recognized to be excessive or unreasonable.
* The feared situations are avoided or endured with intense distress.
* Avoidance, anxious anticipation, distress in the situation, or physical
