Social anxiety is a condition which makes a person experience intense fear about being scrutinized, humiliated and embarrassed in public or in a crowd. Social anxiety in a person becomes too evident when he is asked to speak or perform or do anything in front of many people. It is also social anxiety that prevents a person from meeting new friends and from being present in any social gatherings. Unfortunately, social anxiety in teenagers is also very common. They can even suffer the same debilitating symptoms that adults who have social anxiety are suffering from. These debilitating and disruptive symptoms of social anxiety can have a direct impact on the way a teenager lives his life. In fact, most teenagers who have social anxiety are most likely to live a life in seclusion.
The symptoms of social anxiety would make him want to stay at home, inside his bedroom most of the time. The teenager with social anxiety believes that it would be better for him to be all alone in his bedroom rather than suffer from the consequences being humiliated and embarrassed in social interactions. If not treated at its earliest stage, social anxiety can adversely affect the teenagers social, physical, emotional and behavioral development.
Furthermore, failure to undergo treatment at an early stage can also result togeneralized anxiety disorderor panic attacks. Living with social anxiety can take away all your teenagers chances of developing several social skills which are very crucial for him to grow up and grow old as socially mature individual. If you notice that your child refuses to make that phone call to his friend, or if he is reluctant about meeting other people or being with a crowd, take action right away. This could no longer be a sign of mere shyness anymore. If his shyness reaches the point where he refuses to go out and enjoy life, then it is possible that your child is suffering from social anxiety and it may be time to pursue a child anxiety treatment. Parents should try to become keen observers of their children’s behavior.
Teenagers with social anxiety will experience excessive sweating, difficulty in breathing, frequent episodes of crying, dizziness and many more. Another sign that your child has social anxiety is when he never runs out of excuses for not joining family reunions, birthday parties and other social gatherings. If you begin to suspect that your child has social anxiety, initiate a talk with him and offer help. After talking to him and when you notice that he is ready, try to convince him about consulting a doctor. This way, he will be diagnosed correctly and be recommended for proper treatment.
Remember that when social anxiety in teenagers is left untreated, it might get worst. Always make sure that you provide a reassuring atmosphere to your child that help is available in so many ways. Most of all make him believe that there is absolutely a way out of his social anxiety.
Ryan Rivera writes about stress and anxiety. You may reach him through his Twitter or Facebook account.
