Social anxiety disorder is a kind of social phobia in which a person has acute fear of eating, drinking, talking or being watched out in a public place like a gathering. People who suffer from social phobia encounter difficulties when speaking in public, eating and drinking in public, writing in front of others, meeting new people, being the centre of attention, being watched while they do something, using the telephone or even when having to speak to authority figures.
Anxiety is almost entirely compromised of fear. The fear of fear itself. The disorder causes panic attacks, social discomfort, profuse sweating, rapid heart beat and dizziness all of which are connected to fear. A person with generalized anxiety has already made themselves fearful of a situation that never took place. Before they venture out they already have the fear of having a panic attack due to a social interaction.
Severe social anxiety is one of the most difficult disorders to overcome. It can literally destroy your life in a matter of months. People do no realize that their is no real treatment to rid yourself of social anxiety, sure there is medication that is available through your family doctor. But how on earth does someone with social phobia get this medication when their number one fear is social interaction? Simple, they can not. So where do they turn?
Most anxiety sufferers are completely lost in this situation and have no clue how to get proper treatment and eventually lapse into depression. The best method which is not as commonly mentioned yet very effective in overcoming severe anxiety is to use email to talk to people. This form of interaction is simple, fast and a very effective way to help ease you into a real social situation. You can even take this method one step further by downloading one of the latest instant chat programs such as MSN Messenger or Yahoo Messenger (both are almost identical) so you can communicate in real time yet avoiding a face to face social conversation.
Doctor Charles Drew Medical Blog 