Social Media Anxiety

Numerous researches have done on psychological disorders, Social Anxiety Disorder, as one of the most common disorders has been studied and analyzed for plenty of decades. Social Anxiety Disorder is defined as “excessive anxiety on exposure to potential scrutiny or evaluation by others” (Joy Albuquerque MD, FRCP; and Dorian Deshauer MD, FRCP,2002, p.87). It is considered part of the Axis of Anxiety Disorder and is also known as “Social Phobia”. Furthermore, it has been found in studies that Social Anxiety Disorder is the third most common psychiatric illness right after Alcohol Dependence and Depression

Social anxiety is “a fear of humiliation or of being judged by others, and an avoidance of social situations where attention centers on the individual” (Martis). According to the Social Anxiety Institute, social anxiety has become the third largest psychological disorder, following depression and alcoholism (Richards). Commonly, victims of this social phobia have problems pursuing social environments, interactions, and relationships (“Social Anxiety Disorder”). The failure to fulfill daily requirements in jobs, social settings, and relationships often leaves them feeling “powerless, alone, or even ashamed” (“Social Anxiety Disorder”). Today in America,“15 million [people] suffer[from] the disorder” (“Social Anxiety Disorder”). Of the 15 million American adults affected, women and men are equally prone to develop the phobia (“Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder)”). Currently, the prevalence rate for acquiring social anxiety disorder is “13-14% of all Americans” and continues to rise (Richards). As the number of people affected by social anxiety continues to rise, the understanding of social anxiety’s causes, effects, and treatments is crucial.

Some people may wonder what effect social media has on people worldwide. Many people are using social media daily and because of that, they might not know the effects that can be lurking behind a screen and causing harm to their mental health. Social media has many negative effects on mental health. Some people could think that mental health and social media has no relation, when it does. It is a fast-growing issue with many “cause and effect” reasons behind it. Each cause needs to be recognized along with the effect it has on the people who use social media.

In 1971 the first email was sent. This was the beginning of social media. Social media is a form of electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other contents. Social media sites are like fads where people eventually stop using them and move on to the next one. This essay will be about the effects of social media on the mental health of the main users of social media.

The more we use social media, the less happy we seem to be. Many people would agree that social media leads to isolation, depression, and anxiety. Social Media impacts people in many ways; some are good, but some are very bad. Using social media to communicate is extremely convenient, unfortunately, more people are developing social anxiety because we are learning to comunicate through a screen from a young age. Also, seeing people posting about all the good in their lives can lead you to compare yourself to others. Most importantly, increased exposure of bullying through the internet contributes to high risk of depression. Generally, social media has more bad effects on our mental health than good ones.

The diagnosis of social phobia has seen substantial changes in the last 25 years, from its first appearance in the DSM-III published in 1980 to the DSM-IV. In DSM-III, phobic disorders and anxiety states were regarded as two types of anxiety disorders, and social phobia was considered a phobic disorder. What do you think of when you hear the words Social Anxiety? Is it a mental illness or is it just a phobia? While there are many feelings tied with social anxiety, social anxiety is a mental illness that people go through in their lives. From personally struggling with this I have always wanted to know what are the causes and how can I deal with this issue. I decided this would be a great topic to do my future research paper on. While researching information I came across a source I believe will help me write my paper. I found this source by using the Tacoma Community College library search. I then typed ‘Social Anxiety Disorders’and found the article “Social Anxiety Disorder: Questions for the DSM-V. The article ‘Social Anxiety Disorder: Questions for the DSM-V by Susan M. Bögels is a credible source based on the author’s educational background, other pieces of work from the author, and a distinguished publishing company.

Social Anxiety Disorder affects more than 15 million adults in the United States (“Social Anxiety Disorder: How to Cope”, n.d.). Studies have recently placed Social Anxiety Disorder as the third psychological disorder in the United States, after depression and alcoholism (Richards, n.d.). The onset of most symptoms begins in early adolescence, around age thirteen (“Social Anxiety Disorder: How to Cope”, n.d.). Even with early onset, thirty six percent of people with symptoms report waiting ten years (or more) before seeking help (“Social Anxiety Disorder”, n.d.). Diagnosis can be delayed if the symptoms are minimized to be attributed to being merely shy or introverted. Other times, if the person has become socially withdrawn in response to their Social Anxiety, the behavior can be interpreted as being aloof or uninterested (“Social Anxiety Disorder: How to Cope”, n.d.). Further complicating timely diagnosis and early treatment is because many people with symptoms hesitate to talk about their feelings with others due to their fear of being judged negatively (“Social Anxiety Disorder: How to Cope”, n.d.). People with the disorder can be held back by their terror of feeling humiliated or embarrassed (“Social Anxiety Disorder”, n.d.). Left untreated, anxiety can interfere with social relationships, work, school, and the normal enjoyment of life (“Social Anxiety Disorder Social Phobia”, n.d.). The disorder can result in a low self-esteem, passivity, negative

As social media can have a major impact in our lives when it comes to communication, it can also bring many negative effects to several young adults and adolescences such as depression; depression often develops around young adulthood. Although, there are many factors that lead up to depression, there is a growing interest in the potential influence of social media use on physiological well-being (Lin, Liu, 2016 ) Social Media is forms of electronic communication (such as websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, private messages, pictures, videos, and other content (Merriam-Webster dictionary). Social networks sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram has attracted millions of users world-wide and are simply applied to an individual’s daily life routine

Social anxiety is a debilitating disorder that often leads to significant social impairment, but impairment can transfer over to other domains of a person’s life (Ranta et al., 2007). That is, social anxiety to can lead to being socially incompetent and this can affect a persons work, education, and quality of relationships as well. Adolescents are especially susceptible to social anxiety because it is a developmental time when peer evaluation and social acceptance is very important; putting too much

Social anxiety is the third largest physiological sickness in America, behind depression and Alcoholism. A website dedicated wholly to social anxiety claims that: “Social anxiety is the fear of being judged and evaluated negatively by other people, leading to feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, embarrassment, humiliation, and depression” (Social anxiety Institute). Social anxiety is common in our society currently. Many say it’s because of social media. The pressure of coming out of your own shell of strangers behind a screen and having to go out in the real world. Social anxiety is mostly shown at school, for adolescents, and the adolescent having to see other children all day, and almost every day. Having a social anxiety disorder can usually lead to having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Having O.C.D, in some cases, means there is no control in life, and the diagnosed patient must keep

Social media is described, by the Merriam-Webster dictionary (2015), as “forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos)”. As few as 10 years ago the term social media was yet to be coined, but within that decade the use of these blogs, websites and sharing platforms has increased exponentially with no plateau in sight. From creating Instagram accounts for household pets, to sharing Halloween themed baking ideas over Pinterest, people today have access to social media outlets for almost everything. Today about 74% of people ages 18-65 use some form of a social networking site (Pew, 2014). Facebook takes the lead in social media usage with about 71% of those adults. LinkedIn and Pinterest are tied for second at 28% of users, 26% use Instagram, and Twitter falls last in the top 5 most used social medias with 23% of users (Pew, 2014). In September of 2013 the Pew Research Center measured that 90% of adults ages 18-29 used these social media outlets on a daily basis, which is an astonishing increase from the 9% that was measured in February 2005 (Pew, 2014). Due to the fact that young adults are increasingly involving themselves in these online platforms, it is very important to understand the long term and psychological effects (such as depression, social anxiety,

Anxiety is one of the most well-known disorders across the globe, but it comes in many different forms effecting numerous types of people. Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), also known as social phobia, is one of the main run-offs of anxiety that exists in the world today. It is absolutely normal to feel a little nervous or anxious before trying something new; however, Social Anxiety impels the individual diagnosed to feel distress and agitation in most, if not all, social situations that they partake in because they are afraid of the possible embarrassment that may come from it (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013).

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM–5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) defines social anxiety disorder as “a persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others.” There is is a lot controversy and discrepancies when it comes to social anxiety disorder, people are not aware of what may be really behind the cause. Throughout this paper I will be discussing different theories I have researched on how social anxiety disorder is formed, its effects on people, and how it may be misunderstood.

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), also sometimes referred to as Social Phobia, is described by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) as the “extreme fear of being scrutinized and judged by others in social or performance situations” (2016). The third most diagnosed mental disorder (Social Anxiety Disorder, 2016) social anxiety disorder is believed to affect nearly 15 million adults in the United States (Understanding the Facts: Social Anxiety Disorder, 2016) and is a growing concern in today’s ever more socially connected world.

According to the Social Anxiety Institute, “social anxiety is the fear of interaction with other people that brings on self-consciousness, feelings of being negatively judged and evaluated, and, as a result, leads to avoidance.” It also leads to feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, embarrassment, humiliation, and depression (Richards, 1). In the United States it affects approximately 19.2 million people, but is the least understood anxiety disorder. It cannot be prevented, but it can be treated to help the patient live their routine life as calmly and comfortably as possible. Social anxiety triggers feelings of fear, self consciousness, inadequacy, humiliation, and depression. These negative feelings, amongst others, are the reason social