Whenever we speak of “phobia” we refer to a behavioral disorder characterized by an intense and irrational fear of a person, object or situation. This behavioral disorder will be more or less incapacitating depending on the recurrence of the stimulus that causes the phobia, thus a phobia of snakes, living in a Spanish city, will be less incapacitating than if the subject suffering from the phobia resides in a natural reserve or in the jungle.
Phobias, in psychopathology, are classified as anxiety disorders, since their main characteristic is the level of anxiety and/or disproportionate fear that the person feels before the object or situation that causes the phobia and which becomes an obstacle to the performance of daily life.
Phobic disorder is one of the most frequent disorders worldwide, and in Spain, it is considered the second most frequent, in terms of frequency, after depression.
Social phobia is characterized by an intense and persistent fear of being judged and observed by other people, it is very disabling because it affects many everyday situations: interacting at school, meeting new people, establishing affective relationships, going to job interviews, ordering a drink in a public place and any other situation in which the person is faced with the scrutiny of others.
The symptoms of social phobia are identified with anxiety disorder:
- Sweating, flushing, increased heart rate and difficulty expressing an opinion.
- Digestive problems.
- Feelings of embarrassment and awkwardness in front of other people.
- Fear of being ignored or disregarded, of being humiliated.
- Avoidance of places with people and fear of their judgment.
- It is a situation that goes beyond shyness.
The causes are very varied:
- The existence of a parent with anxiety disorder, not by a hereditary component, but by a Vicarious learning, that is by imitation.
- Very rigid models of education in which the search for excellence and catastrophic consequences in the face of unfulfilled achievements predominated.
- Negative beliefs about oneself and a dysfunctional and impoverished perception of personal capabilities, low self-esteem.
- The existence of an unresolved episode of anxiety or panic.
- Sometimes they are also the symptom of undiagnosed depressive states.
Confinement, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, has favored people affected by social phobia and generalized anxiety to justify a new element as a deterrent to maintaining social relationships, the potential danger that these can cause to health.
In general, the subject affected by a phobia seeks justifications that help him to avoid exposure to the situation that causes him fear, even when it is disproportionate. It is important to note that phobias have multiplied in this health crisis:
- Agoraphobia: this is the fear of being in open spaces.
- Hypochondriasis: fear of illness.
- Haphephobia: is the distrust and fear of contact with other people.
- Phobias involving excessive cleaning and disinfection.
The treatment of social phobia, after an exhaustive clinical history in order to establish an individualized knowledge of the patient, consists of designing a rehabilitation program based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, aimed at establishing new and adequate behavioral strategies for a better development of the patient’s personality.