Social Anxiety and Depression, Link, Triggers, Treatments

The Social Dilemma Depression and Anxiety Statistics

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a chronic disorder significantly affecting the lifestyle of individuals, often preventing the individual from available opportunities and making the person disabled at work and in social life. Adults with social anxiety disorder are more likely to experience lower education attainment, lower wages or unemployment, and poor relationship quality with family. Persons with SAD have frequent comorbid psychiatric disorders such as depression and substance use disorders and are at increased risk of suicide. As SAD has onset at an early age and long duration of illness, untreated individuals are likely to suffer for a long time. [3]

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What are the Symptoms of Social Anxiety and Depression?

To be diagnosed with social anxiety and depression, you must simultaneously show signs of both conditions. Social anxiety causes physical and emotional symptoms before, during, or after social interactions.

There’s often a cycle when social anxiety and depression emerge together. It starts with feeling intense anxiety or fear in social settings. An individual may withdraw from others to avoid this anxiety’s physical, emotional, and psychological effects.

Living with social anxiety is often problematic. On the one hand, you may want to make friends and share yourself with the world. On the other hand, you may feel you can’t overcome the overwhelming anxiety, so you avoid interactions with others whenever possible. While avoidance is one way to deal with stress and anxiety, it can lead to other feelings like loneliness, guilt, shame, and depression.

Symptoms of depression include the following:

How Do You Know If You Have Social Media Depression And Anxiety?

Problems with social media use can often mask more profound issues. Are you having problems fitting in at school or work? Are you suffering from shyness or social anxiety? Are issues at home causing you stress? If you suspect you’re dealing with symptoms of social anxiety, depression, or both, try to talk with a doctor or mental health professional. They can help you understand your symptoms and determine the best treatment.

Many depend on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, and Instagram to find friends and connect. While each has its benefits, it’s crucial to remember that social media can never replace real-world human connection. It requires in-person contact with others to trigger the hormones that alleviate stress and make you feel happier, healthier, and more positive. Ironically for a technology designed to bring people closer together, spending too much time engaging with social media can make you feel more lonely and isolated—and exacerbate mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.

If you’re spending excessive time on social media, feelings of sadness, dissatisfaction, frustration, or loneliness can impact your life. It may be time to re-examine your online habits and find a healthier balance.

***The DSM-5 or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, is the 2013 update to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the taxonomic and diagnostic tool published by the American Psychiatric Association.

How does social media cause depression and anxiety?

To boost self-esteem and feel a sense of belonging in their social circles, people post content hoping to receive positive feedback. Pair that social media content with the structure of potential future rewards, and you get a recipe for constantly checking platforms.

When reviewing others’ social activity, people tend to make comparisons such as, “Did I get as many likes as someone else?” or “Why didn’t this person like my post, but this other person did?” They’re searching for validation on the internet that serves as a substitute for the meaningful connections they might otherwise make in real life.

How alarming is social media causing depression and anxiety? FOMO—fear of missing out—also plays a role. If everyone else is using social media sites, and if someone doesn’t join in, there’s concern that they’ll miss jokes, connections, or invitations. Missing experiences can create anxiety and depression. When people look online and see they’re excluded from an activity, it can affect their thoughts and feelings and can affect them physically.

Lifestyle Remedies for Social Anxiety and Depression

Although social anxiety disorder and depression generally require help from a mental health professional or qualified psychotherapist, you can try some of these techniques to handle situations that are likely to trigger symptoms:

• Learn stress-reduction skills.
• Get physical exercise or be physically active regularly.
• Get enough sleep.
• Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet.
• Avoid alcohol.
• Limit or avoid caffeine.
• Participate in social situations by reaching out to people you feel comfortable with.

At first, being social when you’re feeling anxious and depressed is challenging. As hard or painful as it may seem initially, don’t avoid situations that trigger your symptoms. By regularly facing these situations, you’ll continue to build and reinforce your coping skills. These strategies can help you begin to face circumstances that make you nervous:

• Prepare for conversation, for instance, by reading about current events to identify exciting or interesting stories you can talk about.
• Focus on personal qualities you like about yourself.
• Practice relaxation exercises.
• Learn stress management techniques.
• Set realistic social goals.
• Pay attention to how often the embarrassing situations you’re afraid of occur. You may notice that the scenarios you fear usually don’t come by.
• When embarrassing situations happen, remind yourself that your feelings will pass and that you can handle them until they do. Most people around you either don’t notice or don’t care as much as you think, or they’re more forgiving than you assume.

Best Medication for Social Anxiety and Depression

Various treatment options can help people manage their symptoms, gain confidence, and overcome social anxiety. Social anxiety may persist throughout life if left untreated — though it may feel better or worse at certain times. Healthcare professionals will usually recommend treatment with psychotherapy, medication, or both.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy, or talking therapy, helps people understand their experiences and develop effective coping methods. There are many types of psychotherapy, including CBT, interpersonal, psychodynamic, and family therapy.

CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, is the standard gold treatment. It aims to help people recognize and change negative thoughts or beliefs about social situations. It also aims to change people’s behaviors or reactions to situations that trigger anxiety.

CBT can help people recognize that their thoughts, not those of others, can determine how they react and behave. Exposure therapy, or cognitively delivered exposure, can also help. With this approach, the person gradually works up to facing the situations they fear with a therapist and in a safe environment.

Medications

A range of medications can help people manage the symptoms of social anxiety and depression. The three main types are antianxiety medications, antidepressants, and beta-blockers. Doctors usually prescribe these drugs for specific situations, such as having to give a presentation, but not for ongoing treatment.

To reduce the risk of medication side effects, your healthcare provider may start you at a low dose of medication and gradually increase your prescription to a total dosage. It may take weeks to months of treatment for your symptoms to improve noticeably.

Call We Level Up FL now for a free mental health assessment! In addition, for the substance abuse or dual diagnosis approach, our inpatient treatment, inpatient medical detox, and residential primary addiction treatment may be available at our affiliated facility. For more treatment resources, call We Level Up Florida about your symptoms, and we can help you determine the cause and develop a treatment plan.

We Level Up FL provides world-class care with round-the-clock medical professionals available to help you cope. If you have any questions about social anxiety and depression or looking for mental health treatment options, connect with one of our mental health counselors. Make this your opportunity to reclaim your life. Your call is private and confidential, and there is never any obligation.

3 Most Social Media and Depression and Anxiety Frequently Asked Questions