Causes of Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder is one of the common anxiety disorders affecting approximately 4 to 5 percent of the US population. It usually involves a fear of facing humiliation and embarrassment in situations where you are put into the examination of others. The fear that comes in social anxiety disorder is so powerful that it makes you avoid the situation entirely. The most common phobia involved in social anxiety disorder is fear of speaking in public.

There are many causes responsible for developing social anxiety disorder such as hereditary causes and neurobiological causes. The symptoms of Social anxiety disorder vary and can be physical as well psychological. We will see in detail what the causes of social anxiety disorder are and how they contribute towards social anxiety.

Heredity: It is quite possible that a child born to parents who are themselves shy will get social anxiety disorder. Recent research in the field of genetics has shown that people with a shorter seventeenth gene known as the Serotonin transfer gene (SERT) are more vulnerable towards developing Social anxiety disorder.

Neurobiological: A deficiency in the Gamma Amino butyric acid (GABA), which is the center for emotions in the brain associated with the natural calming response, is responsible for causing anxiety. Quite often, the social anxiety disorder symptoms are associated with the improper chemical balance occurring in the brain.

Maintaining Causes: These help anxiety disorder to sustain for long time. Avoiding of phobic situations such as giving a speech in public helps grow social anxiety disorder, a person is not able to overcome it unless, and until the person starts facing, the situations that will help reduce the fear. Lacking assertiveness also triggers social anxiety and you feel dependent on your sense of security thereby avoiding social situations.

Apart from these, anxious self-talk, cautious view of the world outside from parents also lead to social anxiety disorder, which cannot be overcome until you expose yourself to the outside world and face your phobic situations. However, the treatment of social anxiety disorder exists and includes deep relaxation techniques, exposure and others.