/assets/images/provider/photos/2819381.jpeg)
How to Manage Social Anxiety Through the Holidays
Social anxiety disorder is a mental health condition in which the person feels anxious or fearful in situations where they believe they may be evaluated or judged by others. Examples include speaking in public, meeting new people (including dating), participating in a job interview, answering a question in a lecture, or even chatting with a store employee.
In addition, everyday things such as eating or drinking in public or using a public restroom may provoke anxiety for fear of being humiliated, judged, or rejected.
At the offices of board-certified anesthesiologist Dr. Michael Kullman, he and the team diagnose and treat anxiety in their patients in White Plains and Pleasant Valley, New York, including social anxiety. If you’re concerned about managing your anxiety during the upcoming holiday season, here’s what the team recommends.
What are anxiety disorders?
Anxiety disorders are a collection of mental health conditions that provoke fear, dread, and other physical and emotional symptoms out of proportion to the situation at hand. There are many different types, of which social anxiety disorder is one of the most common types.
It’s estimated that some 5-10% of the world’s population experiences social anxiety disorder. It’s the third most common mental health disorder, following substance use disorder and depression.
Fortunately, anxiety is a treatable condition, most often with a combination of medication and some form of psychotherapy.
What are the symptoms of social anxiety disorder?
A person with social anxiety disorder may have both physical and physiological symptoms that include:
- Blushing, sweating, shaking, or rapid heartbeat
- Feeling nervous to the point of feeling nauseated
- Not making much eye contact when interacting with others
- Having a stiff body posture around other people
Thoughts and behaviors that are common with social anxiety disorder include:
- Being self-conscious in front of other people
- Feeling embarrassed or awkward in front of other people
- Not knowing what to say to other people
- Feeling afraid or worried that other people will negatively judge you or reject you
- Finding it frightening to be around other people, especially strangers
- Avoiding places with lots of people
Some people experience these symptoms only in specific types of social situations, or they may have them in many or all social situations.
Treating social anxiety
Social anxiety is usually treated with a combination of medication and some form of psychotherapy, often cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Using this approach, your therapist helps you unlearn negative or unhelpful thinking patterns and change them into more positive responses to your thoughts and behaviors.
With this new approach, you can respond better to difficult situations and cope more effectively with the stress and anxiety they produce.
Antidepressants, such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are generally effective for anxiety disorders and are a first-line treatment for social anxiety disorders. Beta-blockers, which are medications used to regulate blood pressure, can also help.
However, not everybody responds to the SSRIs or other antidepressant medications. In such cases, Dr. Kullman uses ketamine infusion therapy to help resolve the underlying problem. Ketamine is an anesthetic that works on the dopamine pathways in the brain, helping to regulate mood in a different way than serotonin.
Ketamine also works faster than typical antidepressants. Some patients see results as early as 24 hours after treatment, instead of the six to eight weeks generally needed for other medications.
If you’re dealing with social anxiety, don’t wait until the holidays are upon you to seek treatment. The earlier you start, the better you’ll be able to manage your anxiety during the festive season and enjoy yourself in the process.
To learn more about how ketamine can help with social anxiety, or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Kullman, call our office at 914-465-2882, or visit our website for more options.