Do you often panic in social gatherings? Does your mind get filled with strange thoughts about fear in front of people? There is a greater possibility that you are having social anxiety disorder. This mental disorder involves persistent fear or anxiety about social situations. But no worries, you can control your racing heart and the sweat of your palms with the help of therapeutic support. Multiple therapies are used for the treatment of social anxiety disorder including group therapy.
If you want to know more about social anxiety and group therapy, read this article thoroughly. After reading this article, you will understand the effectiveness of group therapy for anxiety. So let’s get a start!
What is Social Anxiety?
Social anxiety is a common mental illness that involves the persistent fear of social gatherings. Individuals usually prefer to stay alone instead of participating in any social activity due to fear of judgment or embarrassment. Social anxiety is also named as the social phobia that affects a large number of individuals every year. It is more than shyness as individuals feel and think that they will be judged, humiliated, and criticized by others.
Moreover, they think they can not effectively speak in front of others and therefore maintain a distance from others. The most common symptoms of social anxiety involve avoidance behavior, anxiety in social exposure, and some physical symptoms including, trembling, sweating,g and shaking of hands.
Due to their fear or social anxiety, individuals face difficulty in their personal and professional lives. Any individual can suffer from social anxiety, but it usually starts in childhood. Affected children usually exhibit more shyness and avoid behavior. However, if this condition is left untreated, ten symptoms can persist into adulthood. Then teenagers and adults have to bear multiple complexities in their professional lives. Moreover, the affected individuals do not easily bond with their loved ones.
But fortunately, individuals can recover from social anxiety. There are multiple treatment options for social anxiety disorder but group therapy is more prominent. There are different types of talk therapy such as individual and group therapy. However, those individuals who have reduced confidence due to their social isolation can benefit more from group therapy.
What is Group Therapy?
Group therapy is a type of psychotherapy or talk therapy where multiple individuals facing the same mental illness interact with mental health experts to get solutions for their social anxiety. Group therapy is considered the best alternative to individual therapy. Unlike individual therapy, group therapy provides support, confidence, and encouragement to individuals by teaching them a broad range of social skills that can help them live a normal stress-free life.
Multiple studies have also reported that group therapy is useful in getting relief from the symptoms of social anxiety disorder. So individuals can get permanent relief from the symptoms and productively participate in each social activity without any hassle.
What are the major causes of Social Anxiety Disorder?
There is not a single cause of social anxiety. Multiple factors can trigger the development of social anxiety disorder in individuals. Some major and common causes are as follows:
1. Genetics
Genes are the main units of inheritance. Genes that are responsible for the development of social anxiety disorder can pass from parents to children. Those individuals who have a previous family history of social anxiety are more prone to social anxiety as compared to other individuals.
2. Trauma
Previous life traumas can also contribute to the development of social anxiety. Those individuals who have been bullied in their childhood are more prone to suffer from social anxiety. When they reach maturity, they do not feel comfortable in the presence of others and prefer to stay at home instead of going out and meeting new or unknown people. Furthermore, domestic abuse and sexual abuse are also linked with social anxiety.
3. Low self-esteem
Those individuals who have low confidence and self-esteem usually feel more social anxiety. In addition, they consider themselves worthless and think they should avoid engaging with others. They feel a sense of fear or embarrassment in front of others as they think that others will judge them due to their personality flaws.
4. Changes in Brain Structure
Certain changes in some brain regions can also cause social anxiety such as the amygdala. There is an overactivation of the amygdala in those individuals who are suffering from social anxiety.
5. Neurotransmitter changes
Neurotransmitters are specialized chemical messengers that control brain activity and different functions. Some major neurotransmitters that can heighten the social anxiety response involve serotonin, glutamate, and dopamine. Due to the effect of these messenger molecules, individuals feel more anxiety in the presence of others.
What are the major benefits of Group Therapy for Social Anxiety?
Group therapy offers limitless benefits for the treatment of social anxiety and other common mental issues including depression, substance abuse, personality disorders, etc. However, some top benefits of group therapy that work for social anxiety are as follows:
1. Support & Encouragement
Individuals suffering from social anxiety disorder usually feel that they are alone in their mental health struggles. They think that they can not face the individuals due to their undesired fear. But group therapy can help them change this thought. During the group therapy sessions, experts can guide the individuals and tell them that they are not alone and they can easily recover from the symptoms of social anxiety. As each group therapy involves multiple group members who have the same mental issue, individuals can feel relaxed that they can together defeat this challenge.
2. Effective communication
Individuals dealing with social anxiety face difficulty in communication. They think that they can not express themselves completely or do not express their love to their loved ones. Moreover, they think that they can say anything bad to them and therefore they should stay silent instead of speaking or saying anything. In group therapy sessions, individuals can regain their confidence and self-esteem and easily share their mental health concerns with courage. They speak their heart out without any fear of judgment or embarrassment.
3. Real-time feedback
Individuals participating in group therapy sessions can provide real-time feedback to mental health professionals. Different individuals facing social anxiety not only share their experiences but also share ideas for engaging in social activities. Moreover, they also learn a diverse range of strategies from mental health experts on how they can participate in social settings and overcome their social fear or anxiety.
4. Develop a sense of self-worth
Socially isolated individuals think they can not do anything in their lives or can not achieve anything. However, the group members and experts can help them by realizing that they are not worthless. They have their worth that they should never ignore. They should have belief in their innate skills that they can become successful in any phase of their life.
What are the major elements of Group Psychotherapy for Social Anxiety?
In group therapy sessions, experts assist individuals to overcome their symptoms of social anxiety by employing different techniques
1. Cognitive restructuring
Experts first identify the triggers that can result in the development of social anxiety. After that, they guide the individual on how they can challenge their negative thought patterns which are the main reason for anxiety or depression.
2. Exposure work
Experts also employ exposure and response prevention therapy to diminish the social anxiety of individuals. They expose the individuals to the places, objects, or situations that switch on their fear. Initially, individuals face difficulty in inhibiting their response while with time, they become adapted and stop responding to their fear. This response is also referred to as the habituation.
How does Group therapy work for Social Anxiety?
Multiple forms of group therapy are effective for social anxiety treatment. Among all, cognitive behavioral group therapy is the most renowned. The main goal of cognitive behavioral therapy is to restructure the distorted thought patterns and also modify the negative behavior.
Specific vs. Generalised Anxiety Disorder
There are some major differences between specific anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder which are mentioned in this table:
| Specific Anxiety Disorder | Generalized Anxiety Disorder |
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Specific anxiety disorder involves the anxiety or fear of some specific objects, places, or situations.
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Generalized anxiety disorder involves the fear of anything or any life situation.
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The causes or trigger factors of specific anxiety disorders are clear and can be easily identified.
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The identification of the trigger factor of GAD is quite difficult as there is not any apparent or specific trigger.
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The onset of specific anxiety disorder usually occurs in childhood stages.
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The symptoms usually appear in the adulthood stages.
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Individuals feel an intense fear when exposed to fearful situations.
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The fear or worry is persistent and uncontrollable.
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Specific anxiety disorders can result from physical symptoms such as elevated heart rate, respiratory rate, etc.
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The most common symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder involve fatigue, tiredness, muscle stiffness, etc.
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Specific anxiety disorders can be effectively treated with the help of exposure therapy.
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GAD can be effectively treated with the help of cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness techniques, etc.
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What are the Consequences of Social Anxiety Disorder?
If social anxiety is not treated on time, the symptoms can get worse and negatively affect life functioning. The affected individuals usually think that they can control their fear or anxiety while staying away from the people. However, when they get socially isolated, their symptoms can get worse. With time they start experiencing the symptoms of panic even when encountering normal life situations.
How does Group therapy help in the treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder?
Group therapy provides the most effective results for the treatment of social anxiety disorder in multiple ways:
1. Building social skills
Individuals who deal with social anxiety do not have the skills to contribute to social activities. They do not have any idea how they can better express themselves without any fear, stress, or anxiety. However, group therapy can help individuals learn different skills, especially social skills that assist them in engaging themselves in social communities and becoming valuable members of them. Mental health professionals teach them the following major skills:
- Setting boundaries
- Social contribution
- Self-expression
- Ease in communication
- Conflict management
- Better emotional communication
2. Breaking the social isolation
Social anxiety makes individuals isolated or separated from others. Moreover, they usually avoid making new bonds with others. Even if they make it, after that they face issues in strengthening their bond. But group therapy can help in breaking the barriers of social isolation and individuals can develop a new belief that they are not alone. Multiple people are facing the same issues but they all can recover. By regularly participating in group therapy sessions, individuals can develop a sense of empathy and compassion towards their self and others. Ultimately, they experience social healing in their life.
3. Rebuilding the social settings
Every individual experiencing any mental illness always needs the support of others and a safe place to express their feelings and emotions. Group therapy provides individuals with a secure, friendly, and non-judgemental space where they can easily share their feelings, thoughts, and emotions and seek the best guidance from mental health professionals. Individuals learn how they can manage their fear and social anxiety and meet new faces without thinking about their fear or panic attacks.
Which Group therapy is considered best for the treatment of Social Anxiety?
A successful group therapy ist comprises the following elements:
- Presence of individuals who are suffering from social anxiety
- Supervision of a professional and skilled mental health expert who understands how to handle the social anxiety of individuals.
- Experts only focus on altering negative thought patterns into positive ones.
- The size of group therapy should be small so experts pay more attention to the individuals.
- Experts guide individuals on how they can implement the most effective strategies in their lives to prevent social anxiety.
- Cognitive strategies that experts usually employ to control individuals’ social anxiety should be structured and properly explained to them.
- Cognitive strategies should be applied repetitively until individuals get relief from the symptoms of social anxiety disorder. Once the individuals learn the coping strategies, they are encouraged to work on them without any continued support.
Where to get Professional Help for Social Anxiety
BrainPower Wellness Institute is a top mental health platform that offers the finest mental health services. Any individual battling with any mental illness including anxiety, or depression, can get relief from the symptoms. We have a team of professional mental health experts who know each mental issue including social anxiety.
If you or your loved one is suffering from social anxiety and needs professional mental assistance then we are here for help. Stop searching for the Social anxiety group therapy near me. Reach out and communicate with our mental health experts to get the best treatment for your social anxiety. Don’t wait any longer and initiate your journey of mental wellness.
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