What Keeps Social Anxiety Going?

Do you ever feel anxious when you’re around other people, or if you might have to be the center of attention? Do you worry that other people will notice something about you – or about the way you behave – and judge you for it? Social anxiety is the name for feeling these kinds of fears in social situations. Symptoms of social anxiety disorder include:

• Feeling self-conscious and anxious in social situations where you might be exposed to scrutiny by other people.
• Fear that you will behave in a way that will be judged negatively by other people.
• Avoiding social situations, or enduring them with great difficulty.
• Worrying about what other people think of you.

Research studies have shown that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective treatments for social anxiety (Mayo-Wilson et al, 2014). CBT therapists work a bit like firefighters: while the fire is burning they aren’t very interested in

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• Mayo-Wilson, E., Dias, S., Mavranezouli, I., Kew, K., Clark, D. M., Ades, A. E., & Pilling, S. (2014). Psychological and pharmacological interventions for social anxiety disorder in adults: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry, 1(5), 368-376.
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