Social anxiety

Social anxiety disorder is a type of anxiety disorder that causes extreme fear in social settings. This disorder sometimes referred to as social phobia. People with this disorder have trouble talking to people, meeting new people, and attending social gatherings.

People with social anxiety tend to have negative thoughts about, as well as how others will react to them. It is intense anxiety or fear of being judged, negatively evaluated, or rejected in a social or performance situation.

People with social anxiety are often very concerned about visible signs of anxiety, such as blushing or trembling. In contrast to everyday nervousness, social anxiety disorder includes fear, anxiety and avoidance that interfere with relationships, daily routines, work, school or other activities.

Many people with social anxiety disorder also experience strong physical symptoms, such as a fast heartbeat, nausea, and sweating, and may experience full-blown attacks when confronting a feared situation. They are often very concerned about visible signs of anxiety, such as blushing or trembling.

Social anxiety disorder can be a chronic mental health condition, but learning coping skills in psychotherapy and taking medications can help the patient gain confidence and improve his ability to interact with others.
Social anxiety

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia literally means “fear of the marketplace.” It is a type of anxiety disorder that causes a person to avoid situations that he or she fears, such as being in public or being in crowded spaces.

The term agoraphobia was first coined by Westphal (1871) in his description of three males who experienced intense anxiety when walking across open spaces. Westphal also noted the physiological symptoms of anxiety (i.e., palpitations, blushing, trembling, and sensations of heat) and the intense subjective anxiety that is elicited upon anticipating entering a feared situation.

These situations can include even the most wide-open spaces such as shopping malls, airports, parking lots, public transportation, restaurants, theaters, additional situations involving crowds or waiting in line, travel far from home, and being alone.

Agoraphobia is common with 1-3% of the population suffering from it. It is twice as common in women as it is men.

In the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 1980), agoraphobia was characterized as a “marked fear and avoidance of being alone, or in public places from which escape might be difficult, or help not available in case of sudden incapacitation”.

Agoraphobia was then considered a primary diagnosis, which may or may not be accompanied by recurrent panic attacks.

A variety of factors such as fear of sensations and emotions in anxiety (anxiety sensitivity), family history of anxiety (genetics), and stressful events may contribute to this condition.
Agoraphobia

Mental Disorders Cost Society Billions In Unearned Income

Mental Disorders Cost Society Billions In Unearned Income
Major mental disorders cost the nation at least $193 billion annually in lost earnings alone, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The study was published in the May 2008 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

"Lost earning potential, costs associated with treating coexisting conditions, Social Security payments, homelessness and incarceration are just some of the indirect costs associated with mental illnesses that have been difficult to quantify," said NIMH Director Thomas R. Insel, M.D. "This study shows us that just one source of these indirect costs is staggeringly high."

Direct costs associated with mental disorders like medication, clinic visits, and hospitalization, are relatively easy to quantify, but they reveal only a small portion of the economic burden these illnesses place on society. Indirect costs like lost earnings likely account for enormous expenses, but they are very difficult to define and estimate.

In the new study, Ronald C. Kessler, Ph.D., of Harvard University, and colleagues analyzed data from the 2002 National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), a nationally representative study of Americans age 18 to 64.

Using data from 4,982 respondents, the researchers calculated the amount of earnings lost in the year prior to the survey among people with serious mental illness (SMI). SMI is a broad category of illnesses that includes mood and anxiety disorders that have seriously impaired a person's ability to function for at least 30 days in the year prior to the survey. It also includes cases of any mental disorder associated with life-threatening suicidal behaviors or repeated acts of violence.

Eighty-six percent of respondents reported earning income in the previous year. But those with SMI reported earning significantly less - around $22,545 - than respondents without SMI, who averaged $38,852. Although men with SMI took a greater hit in earnings than women with SMI, men still earned more overall than women with and without SMI.

By extrapolating these results to the general population, the researchers calculated that SMI costs society $193.2 billion annually in lost earnings. The researchers attributed about 75 percent of this total to the reduced income that people with SMI likely earn, while 25 percent is attributed to the increased likelihood that people with SMI would have no earnings.

"The results of this study confirm the belief that mental disorders contribute to enormous losses of human productivity," said Kessler. "Yet this estimate is probably conservative because the NCS-R did not assess people in hospitals or prisons, and included very few participants with autism, schizophrenia or other chronic illnesses that are known to greatly affect a person's ability to work. The actual costs are probably higher that what we have estimated."

The researchers concluded by recommending that future studies on the effectiveness of treatments should consider measuring employment status and earnings over the long term to document the effects of mental disorders on a person's functioning and ability to remain productive. Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com Mental Disorders Cost Society Billions In Unearned Income