A Global Issue
“Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal,” ~ Albert Camus. Social anxiety, also known as social phobia, is a mental illness that causes one to have a tremendous fear of talking to and being judged by others. There are many factors that may cause social anxiety. Social anxiety can be treated by therapy, work, and medication. Fifteen million people all over the planet suffer from social anxiety. Social anxiety is truly a global issue.
The statistics on social phobia are very high; what causes this? Research states that there is not an exact cause of this phobia, however there are many leading factors. No definite conclusion has been reached, but “current research supports the idea that
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These factors include serotonin imbalance; serotonin acts as a neurotransmitter in blood vessels. An imbalance of serotonin may cause anxiety, anxiousness, depression, negative thoughts, and tenseness or aching of the body. An overactive amygdala will also cause social anxiety. The amygdala is a roughly almond-shaped mass of gray matter inside each cerebral hemisphere, involved with the experiencing of emotions. When one’s emotions become hyperactive it causes emotional stressors to convince your amygdala that you are in danger, this causes one to have an anxiety attack. Another cause of social anxiety is genetics. German tests and studies have confirmed that anxiety related traits are correlated with genes. On the on the other hand, children tend to follow in their parents’ footsteps. “A child might develop an anxiety disorder by learning the behavior of one of their parents who has an anxiety disorder,” (Higuera). Even Though this is not genetically caused, it is still very infective to the mind. Lastly, negative experiences, such as physical, mental, or sexual abuse, will cause social anxiety. “Social and medical science have long suspected that childhood