Hi friends,
It is common knowledge that
many of us are very outgoing while many of us are rather shy and like to stay
to ourselves. A small number are so shy that they cannot effectively
carry out their jobs or enjoy life as they would have wanted to? So is this
normal or abnormal? More importantly, is there a way to change it, and if yes,
how? That is what we will be discussing today!
The extent of shyness varies from person to
person - so too, the exact nature and cause. In a lot of people, shyness is
their nature, a part of their personality, whereas in others, it is a
psychological disorder. In still others, it is a combination of both a
personality with a superimposed disorder.
Let us consider the personality part first.
(Read http://drsathyaprakash.blogspot.in/2016/08/what-are-different-personality-styles.html)
Interestingly, a section of people who keep to themselves are not really keen
on meeting others – they are quite happy with themselves and do not feel the
need to meet others. This kind of personality is often called a schizoid
personality. They may seem rather cold and unemotional to others, and often
have few or no friends. But then there is another section, who would
want to be amongst others, want to go out but their anxiety and apprehension
prevents them from doing so. The same anxiety often interferes with their academic,
career and romantic pursuits. . This kind of personality is often termed as an
anxious-avoidant personality. This section of people often suffers a
great deal without realizing that this aspect of their personality, although
natural and common, can actually be changed and improved upon.
Now for the disorder part; social phobia or
social anxiety disorder is now gaining increasing attention by the day. People
with this disorder are otherwise rather normal, but are plagued by marked
anxiety in social situations. In the more severe instances, persons may be
unable to talk even on phone or make simple conversations with people for daily
needs. Unlike an anxious avoidant personality where the ‘symptoms’ have been
present since childhood (and hence part of the nature), in case of a social
anxiety disorder, there is often a change from one’s previous self. Such a
change, many a time, is precipitated by an important or not so important
incident.
But
irrespective of the debate on what is normal and what is abnormal; what is a
personality issue and what is a disorder, it is quite clear that a lot of
people would want an improvement in this kind of a situation. So what are the
options? Broadly, the options can be divided into medicines and non-medicine
based strategies.
Medicines are useful only in the moderate
to severe forms of social phobia and very severe forms of anxious avoidant
personality disorders. Even in these scenarios, they need to be combined with
other modalities such as psychotherapy.
The non-medicine
related aspects includes several strategies such as cognitive behavioral
therapy, behavioral therapy, behavioral activation, structuring of routine,
relaxation exercises, regular exercise and yoga. In fact, it is often the combination
of many of these medicine and non-medicine strategies that often works best.
Therefore the bottom-line is this: If one
loves to be alone, does not want to change it, that is alright and fine. But if
one is distressed and wants to change the scenario, it is quite possible. So
don’t wait and suffer alone! Seek help and enjoy life!
So that was the discussion for this week
friends. Hope you liked it!
Please let me know if you want me to
discuss any specific issue by typing in the comments section below.
Write in at stayhappy.prakash@gmail.com
So until next time, STAY HAPPY!
Dr. Sathya Prakash, MD, Dip. CBT
Consultant Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist
and Behavioural Sciences Expert
