Social phobia is a fear of communication associated with going beyond the "personal space". In other words, a person suffering from social phobia experiences a persistent, inexplicable, on the verge of panic fear at the mere thought that he will have to be in the company of strangers, do something in their presence, talk to them. Such a person, as a rule, understands all the senselessness, irrationality of these fears, but cannot get rid of them. Even just going out of the house into the street is sometimes akin to a feat for him. How to treat social phobia?
Instructions
Step 1
To cure this disease, use medication as directed by your doctor. Medications such as antidepressants, beta-blockers are usually helpful in some situations, such as speaking to an unfamiliar audience (giving a lecture, at a meeting, etc.). But it should be clearly understood that, firstly, they have side effects, and secondly, they only eliminate the symptoms of the phenomenon. They do not touch upon the cause of social phobia.
Step 2
Some experts advise treating social phobia according to the principle of "knocking out a wedge by a wedge". In other words, they insistently recommend such people literally "through force", forcing themselves to do exactly what causes them fear. Scared to talk to strangers? This means that you talk to them as often as possible, under any pretext or without it at all.
Step 3
Is it scary to find yourself in a big company? Especially several times a day, go to supermarkets, attend concerts, performances, meetings, etc. as soon as possible. Sooner or later, the irrational fear will recede. This method is rather controversial. In some cases, it can really help. However, with the same likelihood, it can aggravate the condition of a person suffering from social phobia.
Step 4
Use what's called behavioral therapy. It is a long and difficult method, but it is quite effective. The main condition for a cure is complete trust between the patient and the psychotherapist, since it is very important to determine what caused the symptoms of social phobia. Based on this reason, the psychotherapist will plan a treatment method that the patient must adhere to unswervingly.
Step 5
In the most severe cases, a combination of drug treatment and behavioral therapy is used. As a rule, this leads to a positive result.
