Everyone gets the nervous jitters from time to time, like when they’re about to give a big presentation or are meeting someone for a first date. But if fear of social situations is keeping a woman or adolescent girl from enjoying her life, she is likely struggling with social anxiety.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) says social anxiety is more intense than shyness because it is driven by an irrational fear of being embarrassed, rejected, or of offending others.
These fears can be isolating, causing many women and girls who are struggling with social anxiety to avoid certain people, places, or situations to alleviate the distress they’re experiencing.
Common Signs & Symptoms of Social Anxiety
The warning signs and symptoms of social anxiety can sometimes be subtle, so if a woman or girl behaves a certain way, it doesn’t necessarily mean she has developed social anxiety disorder.
However, if you notice these signs or social anxiety symptoms, you may want to reach out to see if she needs professional help.
Examples of warning signs and social anxiety symptoms:
- Frequently asks if she looks nervous or anxious
- Concerned about looking stupid or awkward
- Worried others will think she’s boring
- Constantly afraid she has offended others
- Makes excuses not to attend events or social gatherings
- Feels distressed or overwhelmed in social situations
- Pounding heart, nausea, and sweating at social events
Social Anxiety Statistics
- The Anxiety and Depression Association of America reports that 15 million U.S. adults are impacted by social anxiety disorder.
- Individuals typically start to experience social anxiety disorder symptoms around age 13.
- Approximately 36% of people struggle with social anxiety disorder symptoms for 10 or more years before seeking professional treatment.
Why Get Social Anxiety Treatment
When these feelings and fears develop into social anxiety disorder, they can destroy a woman’s or girl’s ability to enjoy her everyday life. Without professional support, an adolescent girl or woman may be at risk of suffering negative consequences that can destroy her long-term happiness.
Examples of the effects of society anxiety include:
- Challenges finishing school
- Inability to keep a job
- Financial difficulties
- Trouble maintaining romantic relationships
- Lost connections with close friends and family
- Development of other mental health concerns
Benefits of Social Anxiety Treatment
Thinking about getting social anxiety treatment might initially cause you to have the same fears you’re seeking help for, but taking the steps to get treatment can be life-changing.
When you receive social anxiety treatment, you’ll work with nonjudgmental professionals who understand the complexities of social anxiety disorder. Throughout the social anxiety treatment process, you will gain new coping skills and learn to manage the social anxiety symptoms that have kept you from enjoying social situations.
Many women and adolescent girls feel isolated by their experiences with social anxiety. But getting social anxiety treatment can connect girls and women with others who have shared similar struggles. The power of community may motivate and uplift you throughout your recovery journey.
Choosing the Right Social Anxiety Treatment
Every woman or adolescent girl who seeks social anxiety treatment has her own story to tell. The lines and pages of that story inform how social anxiety has impacted her over the years and serve as a guide for the social anxiety treatment plan we create for her.
At Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center, we offer different levels of care to ensure women and girls achieve the best outcomes possible for the social anxiety symptoms that have disrupted their lives.
Our residential social anxiety treatment provides women and girls with round-the-clock care from a multidisciplinary team in an environment that empowers them to take ownership of their wellness. Our partial hospitalization program (PHP) offers women daylong social anxiety treatment with the flexibility to go home at night or stay in one of our on-campus residences.
We will sit down with you to understand your needs and goals so we can identify the level of care that is right for you.
Therapies Used to Treat Social Anxiety
Choosing Timberline Knolls means you’ll have an individualized social anxiety treatment experience that meets your unique needs and goals. Your social anxiety treatment plan will include a combination of evidence-based therapies and interventions based on what we determine will benefit you the most.
Depending on your needs and recovery goals, you may experience elements of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), the 12 Steps of recovery, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). You may also take part in individual, family, experiential, and group therapies.
You will also receive a detailed discharge plan before leaving our social anxiety treatment center that will include the resources you need to continue your progress long after your time at Timberline Knolls.
This content was reviewed and approved by the clinical staff at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center.
