We are pleased to interrupt this blog with some important news from UNIV (United Negative Internal Voices). It has come to the attention of the "fine" voices at UNIV that this so called blog is nothing but a hoax. We at UNIV have been investigating this Bill guy for quite some time and have concluded that he has no clue what he is talking about. He is "an anarchist agitator spreading false propaganda in an attempt to lead the public into false beliefs about your internal negative voice as well as the belief that intense anxiety is not a good thing". For your own safety and that of your loved ones, please do not read any more jibberish from this person. Leave this site and never return!!! You'll be pleased that you listened to the truth from your own internal negative voice and will forever remain indebted to us.
Oh come on negative voice, posing as an official association to scare people away from Bill's blog! People are not going to listen to you anymore. They are fed up with your lies and trickery to get them to bend to your will rather than following their own destiny. Get out of the way and let Bill inform everyone of what an imposter you really are and how devistating Social Anxiety is to the millions of sufferers in the world. People: read on and let the truth be heard!!!
Although I haven't been writing I have been doing some reading about Social Anxiety. No single known cause for Social Anxiety Disorder exists but it is likely that biological, psychological and/or environmental factors may play a role in its development. From a biological standpoint the brain may have an imbalance of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Neurotransmitters are special chemical messengers that aid in the movement of information between nerve cells in the brain. This imbalance can play a dramatic role in how the brain interprets the information which in turn can lead to anxiety. In addition, Social Anxiety appears to run in families. From a psychological standpoint a past social event that was embarrassing or humiliating may be the root cause of the anxiety. From an environmental standpoint observing other people's reactions to or seeing others in embarrassing or humiliating situations can cause personal anxiety which leads to an avoidance of situations that may cause you similar embarrassment. Also, overprotective parents or a lack of good social skills can have an impact on ones anxiety level.
Medication is effective in treating the symptoms of the anxiety. The medication can increase the serotonin in the brain and give the anxiety sufferer relief from the intense anxiety. Problems with using medication are the side effects and the fact that the anxiety and the automatic negative thoughts that sufferers experience do not change. Medication is not a long term solution to managing the anxiety. It can be very helpful as a temporary means to reduce the anxiety so that the sufferer can focus on the treatment which has proven effective in managing and eliminating the intense anxiety.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has proven to be the best method in treating Social Anxiety. Through the years your brain has learned what to be afraid of and how to deal with that fear. Through CBT a person can teach their brain to learn new behaviors for dealing with the fears and eliminate or reduce the intensity of the anxiety to a manageable level. CBT takes a lot of work, dedication and time before the brain will automatically choose the new learned behavior. Consider it like learning to play a new musical instrument. It takes a lot of practice before you can play the instrument well. It is the same with CBT, it takes a lot of practice to get the new learned behaviors to become the automatic behavior that your brain will use.
I realize that some of the information I presented may not be completely accurate or is outdated. Social Anxiety is a realatively new disorder as it wasn't officially recognized as a disorder until 1980. As new research is done new information and insights replace or redefine some of the information that already exists. I used information from both the WebMD and the Social Anxiety Insitute (SAI) websites for this blog. Although there are many good websites and books about Social Anxiety Disorder I personally would recommend looking at the SAI website for the most up to date information. The SAI deals with SAD exclusively, even though there are other anxiety disorders as well. But any research you do will help get you started on the right path. I suggest using multiple resources as there will likely be some discrepencies between resources and you can determine what makes the most sense for you and your individual needs.
Peace,
Bill
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