Everyone has faced anxiety at one point and time in their lives when a stressful event just seemed like way to much to bear. Experiencing anxiety sporadically is normal, but if your symptoms last for more then 6 months, you may have an anxiety disorder. An anxiety disorder is when you consistently worry and dread future events.

An anxiety disorder can appear by itself or along side impurities such as drug or alcohol abuse. There are various anxiety disorders, and one of the disorders is known as social anxiety disorder or social phobia.

Social phobia is when you are extremely frightened by everyday social interactions. You fear being around people and can worry for days or weeks about having to be around anyone. The anxiety can become so severe that you can not function in your daily activities such as work, or school. The anxiety can cause someone to become permanently homebound.

Anyone that has social anxiety disorder has an immense fear that someone is constantly watching them. They fear that everyone who looks at them or is around them is judging them. What causes someone to think this way? There are several causes that may affect the condition, some of which may be your general makeup, early growth and development, and things that occur later in life. These causes are classified in the following:

Genetic disposition: It is possible that a child may inherit a shy gene from their parents, when post parents are modestly shy.

Ethology: Not looking at someone directly in the face is a sign of this social phobia as well.

Development: People can develop this disorder at different times in their life. With children, normally when emphasis begins to be put on looks and performance they bring themselves to a place of solitude, where they can be away from others. If something traumatic occurs to a child at a young age around others, such as bullying this could also cause a social phobia.

Chemical Disorder: Doctors believe there is a chemical disorder in the brain which may be linked to a social anxiety disorder. Doctors believe that when you have such a disorder your anxiety response is contorted. There are four functions that can be influenced in the brain by the anxiety response system they are, the brain system (which deals with your heart and breathing patterns), your limbic system (which controls what mood your in and also your stress levels), the prefrontal cortex (which is the part of your brain that warns of danger), and your motor cortex (which controls all muscle movement).

Many people who have the disorder think their fears are silly and try to put themselves out there with other people. While doing this they are only making the anxiety worse, they are constantly worried about how they will be perceived. And, for months after they could be pondering on what peoples judgment of them was. This illness can be cured however, through certain medications and also psychotherapy.

Many people who deal with a social phobia will have uncontrollable blushing problems, perspire profusely, have immense shakes, constantly feel like they are going to vomit, and have trouble talking. Every time these symptoms occur someone who suffer s a disorder thinks that everyone is watching them, thus making them more embarrassed.

So, the next time you see someone standing alone, do not rapidly approach them. They may be trying to overcome the fears of this horrible phobia.