Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) or Social Phobia - Understanding Different Types of Anxiety
Learn more about Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) or Social Phobia, its symptoms, reasons why it happens, how to get a diagnosis, and possible treatments for kids with this type of anxiety.
A simple dread of making new friends or interacting with others is not the same as social anxiety disorder, often known as social phobia.
It is characterised by an acute fear of social situations in which other people might assess or interact with your child.
The fear of being judged by other people, the fear of offending other people, the fear of shame, and the dread of interacting with strangers are some of the stressors that can cause children who have a social anxiety disorder to display extreme levels of anxiety.
Other triggers include public speaking and reading aloud in front of others.
In addition, children with social anxiety disorder show elevated anxiety levels in various social contexts (school, teams, play dates, enrichment classes, and even family reunions.)
Children who suffer from social anxiety disorder are more likely to experience severe discomfort.
In addition, this disorder has been shown to have a poor impact on academic achievement, social interactions, self-confidence, and other aspects of functioning.
Because they fear being judged negatively or feeling embarrassed in front of their classmates, children who suffer from social anxiety disorder are more prone to avoid participating in sports or other group pursuits.
Parents can greatly assist their children who suffer from social anxiety disorder by first gaining an awareness of the condition and then instructing their children on how to manage the symptoms.
Manifestations of Social Anxiety
The average age for beginning to exhibit social anxiety disorder is 11 years old, and most (75%) have symptoms between the ages of 8 and 15.
The condition may develop due to a history of social inhibition or shyness in childhood. Still, it may also be brought on due to a traumatic incident, such as being bullied.
Social anxiety disorder is characterised by an apparent dread or anxiety in response to one or more social events in which the individual may be subject to future scrutiny by others.
This fear or anxiety may pertain to multiple social situations. This could include engaging in social interactions, being observed by others, or performing in front of an audience.
In addition to these symptoms, those who suffer from social anxiety disorder also experience the following:
The child worries that they will be judged unfavourably if they behave in a certain way or display certain anxiety symptoms.
The social circumstances invariably bring up feelings of dread or panic (in children, this can manifest as tantrums, clinging, crying, freezing up, or failure to speak)
The avoidance of social situations or the forced participation in them despite severe levels of dread and anxiety
The level of worry or concern is disproportionate to the danger present.
The worry, anxiety, and avoidance behaviours continue for at least six months.
Symptoms of Social Anxiety in Kids
Physical symptoms include flushing, a racing heart, a shaky voice, shaking, nausea, and difficulty speaking.
Discomfort and distress that is considered from a therapeutic point of view in social, occupational (school), or other gatherings.
Fear of public gatherings that may take place several weeks in advance.
Excessive attachment to old friends and acquaintances.
Outbursts of rage when confronted with anxiety-inducing social circumstances.
Blaming one's own social shortcomings on others.
When is a Child's Social Anxiety Serious?
Assess your child's level of fear in addition to responding to these questions.
Does your kid have a small social circle? Even while socially anxious kids are typically friendly, their excessive shyness and lack of interest in engaging in social interaction frequently push the anxious kid to the sidelines.
Your kid might shy away from eye contact. This indicates that the child finds social interaction extremely uncomfortable.
Does your child frequently worry about situations when other people will be present, such as coming to a party, speaking in class, using the chalkboard, or phoning friends?
A shy child might be reluctant to engage in certain activities, but an anxious youngster will feel uneasy even just thinking about them.
Has your child withdrawn from or declined to join organisations like scouts, dance classes, sports teams, and so on? There are groups of people with every imaginable passion, even if not everyone is an athlete or dancer.
Even if your child could claim they aren't interested in the activity, a child with an anxiety disorder is probably trying to avoid uncomfortable circumstances and not the activity itself.
In social circumstances, does your child tremble, fidget, or mumble? Of course, fidgeting is to be expected if expected to sit still during long situations.
However, you should pay attention if you notice a trend of anxious behaviour in any social setting.
Does your child frequently have headaches, nausea, or stomach aches? Bodily symptoms are often present in children with social anxiety disorder.
These symptoms may be imagined to escape uncomfortable situations or be genuine physical manifestations of the stress the kid is experiencing. A youngster with anxiety issues typically has a good relationship with the school nurse.
Did your kid have extreme separation anxiety? Are there issues with your child skipping school?
The early signs of a social anxiety disorder include frequent absences from school. The longer school is missed, the more trouble returning may be, and the youngster may experience a cycle of stress and dread.
For example, many young people detest presenting oral reports. As a result, they may experience sweaty palms, butterflies, and even worry the night before a speech.
An anxious child can refuse to complete the report, get physically unwell from stress, spend many nights awake fretting, or take extraordinary measures to avoid speaking to the class.
Many young people can be shy when making friends. A child with social anxiety will come up with many excuses as to why they shouldn't say hello to the new neighbour.
They could be quiet in groups until a familiar person coaxes a timid child out of their shell.
A child who struggles with social anxiety will make themselves miserable by thinking that they will mess up even the most simple tasks, cause themselves to look foolish, or that others will notice their trembling, sweating, or other symptoms because they are so anxious.
A party can be nothing but pure fear for a child who struggles with social anxiety.
Sports can also pose challenges, especially team sports. Although it's common for kids to feel anxious before important games, there may be a problem if the child often throws up or considers quitting the team.
A child who can give thoughtful responses to questions about why they shouldn't do an activity and can list fifty reasons why they shouldn't - has the skills to communicate with others without shyness but they might be too afraid to do so.
Coping Strategies for Kids with Social Anxiety
How families can better support children through their struggles with social anxiety
The first and most important thing you can do to assist your child in coping with it is to name it. Children who suffer from social anxiety disorder know they experience fear and worry in social settings, but they do not necessarily understand why they feel this way.
It is a critical first step toward learning to cope with stress to assist the individual in making the connection between their emotional responses, physical symptoms, and triggers.
Teaching your child how anxiety affects thought and behaviour is an effective strategy for teaching them how to deal with challenging feelings.
Guide children in various methods of relaxing
When kids feel worried or overwhelmed, they need to learn a variety of coping mechanisms that they can employ.
However, when dealing with acute physical symptoms of anxiety, it is practically impossible to apply adaptive coping skills; therefore, the first step is learning how to quiet the nervous response.
The greatest technique to calm a high heart rate, shallow breathing, and a feeling of dizziness is to practice deep breathing. First, teach your child to engage their diaphragm during deep breathing by having them visualise blowing out a balloon. Then, countdown from eight with your youngster to assist in slowing their breathing (bubble breathes with Gheorg: 8 in and 8 out)
Through the use of guided imagery, your kid will be able to experience a calming journey in her mind while she practices deep breathing. To assist your child in locating her centre, try telling her a little narrative in a calm and even tone of voice.
Progressive muscle relaxation can help relieve this tension. Teach your kid how to release tension and relax her muscles, starting with her hands and arms.
For example, make a fist, keep it closed for five seconds, and then slowly unwind your hand from it. Next, move on to the feet and legs, followed by the arms, neck, and shoulders.
How to Teach Kids to do Cognitive Reframing
Children suffering from social anxiety disorder may have unhelpful beliefs reinforcing their worried thoughts and feelings.
Their beliefs can often be classified as belonging to one of the following groups:
Taking into account the worst worst-case scenario
The conviction that other people view them through a pessimistic outlook
Overreacting
Personalising
Teach your child to identify when they are thinking negatively and to replace those thoughts with more positive ones.
For example, if your child has a habit of saying things like, "My teacher thinks I'm stupid because I'm bad at reading," you can help him recognise the negative thought and ground it in reality (a teacher's job is to help children learn, not to judge them based on what they already know).
Then you can replace it with a positive thought by saying, "I'm having trouble reading, but my teacher will help me get better."
Reinforce Problem-Solving Skills
Occasionally, children with social anxiety disorders become great at avoiding situations. They try to avoid the problems that bring them the most distress. Everyone needs resilience and it’s a muscle that needs to be used. When you reinforce the benefits of problem solving, it can help kids to build their problem solving skills.
Even though this may appear to be the easiest way out of the situation, it also has the potential to make social anxiety much worse over time.
Develop your child's capacity to overcome fear and anxiety by instructing them in problem-solving techniques.
Everyone needs to build resilience and resilience is a muscle that needs to be practised.
If a child has a phobia of public speaking, they can learn to rehearse in front of a mirror at home multiple times, have someone videotape them, and watch it back.
They can make eye contact with a friendly face and practice deep breathing to calm tense sensations.
Assist your child in figuring out what sets off their triggers and helping them develop viable solutions to the problems triggered by those triggers.
These strategies can all help a child overcome their fears.
Develop their ability to make and keep friends
You won't be able to choose your child's friends for them, but you can assist them in improving their ability to get along with others. Help your child feel more at ease around other children by teaching them these skills through role-playing and modelling.
Greetings
Alternating between joining and leaving groups
Conversation starters
Paying attention and then responding
Continuation of a discussion through the use of follow-up questions and statements
Seek Professional Assistance
Suppose you observe that your child's social anxiety disorder affects his or her ability to attend school, interact socially with classmates inside and outside the classroom, or perform other functions.
In that case, you should seek support from a qualified mental health expert. See your local doctor for a referral to a professional psychologist or mental health support person.
The good news is that social anxiety disorder is treatable, and children can learn to cope with their symptoms and use appropriate tactics in various social contexts.
What you need to know about Social Anxiety Disorder
Although Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) may appear to be a condition that exclusively affects adolescents, it can have a wide variety of symptoms and underlying reasons that begin to show up in early childhood.
However, if left untreated, SAD can cause serious problems throughout adulthood. Fortunately, treatment options exist for children and adults, and most cases can be successfully treated.
If you are seeking further information on anxiety in children, how to help/support kids with anxiety, how anxiety impacts kids, or what anxiety looks like in kids, you can head over to Gheorg .
This is beneficial for children with high anxiety levels or social anxiety disorder. Try Gheorg for a fun way of developing your child's emotional intelligence.
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