Feeling anxious and shy during interviews, while delivering speeches, meeting new people, or social gatherings is common among many individuals. But do you face intense fear, anxiety, or shyness just by the thought of certain situations?? So much that it hinders your daily routine?
This intense fear of social situations is called social phobia or social anxiety disorder.
It is a type of disorder that causes extreme fear in social settings. It is a fear of being judged by others, being belittled, or fear of being humiliated. Although you may realize it’s irrational, yet you can not avoid it.
A simple social phobia test can help diagnose a social phobia.
Diagnosing Social Phobia: Social Phobia Test
There is no medical social phobia test available to diagnose social phobia.
It all depends on the following criteria, which serve as a social phobia test.
Physical Examination For Social Phobia Test
Physical signs and symptoms like
redness of face or blushing, shortness
breath, upset stomach, nausea,
trembling or shaky, tightness in
chest, sweating or hot flashes, feeling
dizzy.
Questionnaire On The Symptoms
Change in sleeping pattern
Change in eating habits
Staying sad or depressed
Feeling worthless or guilty
Feeling uninterested in life
Enlisting Situations That Cause Symptoms For Social Phobia Test
During speeches
Social gatherings
Meeting new people
Unfamiliar situations
Interviews
Self- Report Questionnaire To Help In Social Phobia Test
Fear of situations in which you can easily
analyzed or evaluated,
Fear of being around people you don’t know
Fear of criticism, ridicule, and humiliation
Desire to escape a given situation.
Constant self-doubt
Negative thoughts
A Series Of Questions Designed To Assess Social Phobia
Based on the social phobia test, a social phobia diagnosis is made based on the following criteria.
Fearing embarrassment and humiliation always in social situations.
Anxiety or panicky before a social interaction
Realizing that these fears are irrational
Anxiety causing disruptions in daily activities
It is essential to diagnose social phobia because it can lead to depression and stress disorders if left untreated. And a simple social phobia test can help diagnose the disorder.
Social phobia can be treated by medication, psychotherapy.
And by practicing to be calm and relaxed can only help faster recovery.
Learning stress reduction techniques, getting enough sleep before any triggering event, practicing breathing exercises, avoiding caffeine, alcohol, taking a healthy balanced diet will prove helpful.
Another helpful habit for reducing stress is to develop communication skills around people you are comfortable with and then start with a small group of unfamiliar people.
Conclusion
Social phobia is a debilitating disorder wherein you have to face constant, irrational fear of humiliation, stress, the anxiety of social situations. It distracts your daily activities and sucks up the energy needed for optimal performance. There is no medical social phobia test. A structured questionnaire is the best social phobia test to diagnose a social phobia.
