It’s normal to feel shy in certain situations, like meeting someone new or starting a new school or job. But Social Anxiety Disorder (also called Social Phobia) is about much more than just feeling shy.

A mental disorder is what happens when your brain gets used to not working the way it's supposed to.

Mental health refers to the health of your brain. It's what is going on inside your head.

Your mental health affects every aspect of your life, including your school performance, Your physical health, your feelings, your self esteem, and your relationship with other people.

Having good mental health makes it easier for you to cope with stress and live your life the way you want to live it.

Looking after your mental health is really important.

A mental disorder is what happens when your brain gets used to not working the way it’s supposed to. We get stuck in a pattern of feeling really down, or really anxious, or really distracted. Sometimes these patterns can even change the way our brain works.

Just like how mental health affects all aspects of your life, so do mental disorders.

Having a mental disorder can make it harder for you to do well in school, to get along with your friends and family, and to stay physically healthy. It makes it difficult to live your life the way you would like.

Some people with mental disorders may end up using drugs and alcohol to cope, and other people may hurt themselves or think suicide is the answer.

Seek help as soon as you notice a problem. There are lots of people who can help you. Early treatment of mental disorders not only helps you right away, but the help you get can last your whole life.

In order to understand how the brain changes when someone has a mental disorder, we need to know how it usually works. The brain has 6 different but completely linked functions.

Thinking: Your brain is in charge of how you store and process information, whether it’s f iguring out a math problem, remembering to pack your lunch, concentrating during class, or planning what you are going to do this weekend.

Feeling: Your brain also controls how you feel at any given point in time and how you express those feelings to other people.

Perceiving/Sensing Your brain is responsible for paying attention to what is going on around you. It does this by interpreting information from your senses - sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch. You see with your brain, not with your eyes!

Physical: Your brain controls how your body moves and reacts – from obvious things, like being able to move your hands, to things you don’t even think about, like breathing or digesting your food.

Behaving: Your brain controls how you interact with the people around you and your environment. It’s your brain that tells you what to do or say in different situations

Signaling: Your brain also plays an important role in protecting you from danger. It keeps track of the information from your senses in order to alert you that you may be in trouble, like if you touch a hot stove and you immediately pull your hand away. Your brain is what stopped you from being badly burned!

hen a person has a mental disorder, one or more of these brain functions are not working properly. And because these brain functions are all interconnected, when one function isn’t working properly, the other brain functions will also be affected.

In the case of an anxiety disorder, the brain’s signaling mechanisms are not working the way they should. This makes people feel like they’re in danger, even when they are perfectly safe.

Social Anxiety Disorder is one type of anxiety disorder, where people feel threatened and anxious in usual social situations.

A person with Social Anxiety Disorder has an intense fear of social situations where they could be judged or feel embarrassed. This can cause him or her to avoid everyday social situations, like going shopping, speaking up in class, using a public bathroom, or participating in gym class.

Someone with Social Anxiety Disorder often knows that his or her fears are unreasonable and that other people don’t feel the same way. This can make him or her feel really alone, like no one else can understand how he or she feels, leading to further isolation and depressive feelings.

Anxiety Disorders are the most common mental illness in Canada – about 10% of Canadians will have an Anxiety Disorder in their lifetime. About 4% of 15-24 year-old Canadians report having Social Anxiety Disorder/Social Phobia in the past year.

Anyone can get Social Anxiety Disorder. Although it may be more common in women and usually begins during the teen years, it isn’t caused by your gender, age, or anything like that.

Instead, Social Anxiety Disorder is thought to be caused by a combination of your genetics (which you inherit from your biological relatives), and the things that have happened in your life.

They can feel self-conscious and inadequate if they compare themselves to others (e.g., “I can’t do presentations as well as my classmates.”)

They can feel like everyone is staring at them and judging them.

They can start to avoid social situations that make them uncomfortable or self-conscious.

They can feel guilty for avoiding those situations and start to feel bad about themselves.

These fears can get worse as they continue to avoid social situations that cause anxiety.

Without practice and frequent use, their social skills can suffer, making it even harder for them to feel comfortable in social situations.

Sometimes they may drink, smoke, do drugs, or binge eat to cope with their anxiety.

WITHOUT TREATMENT Symptoms continue to get worse and the person with Social Anxiety Disorder withdraws from other people, leading to negative consequences in adulthood.

WITH TREATMENT Symptoms improve and the person with Social Anxiety Disorder feels more confident in social situations and develops positive social skills that last into adulthood.

Social Anxiety Disorder is very treatable. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is used most often, and medication can also help in certain cases.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a type of talking therapy that has a few different techniques that are helpful for treating Social Anxiety Disorder, including cognitive restructuring and exposure. These work by helping your brain control your anxiety better.

Cognitive Restructuring is basically a fancy way to say “change the way you think.” If you change the way you think about the situations that cause you anxiety, your feelings about that situation (i.e., your anxiety) and your behaviour in the situation (i.e., avoidance) will also change.

Exposure is exactly what it sounds like: putting yourself in situations that cause you anxiety. Your therapist would work with you to slowly build up your confidence and comfort level, starting with situations that cause only a tiny bit of anxiety and slowly working up to situations that are more frightening.

Medication can help your brain function better. Medicines known as SerotoninSpecific Reuptake Inhibitors (also called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRIs) are the most commonly used.

A good support network of friends & family and tips for better mental health can also help.

A good support system should understand the challenges that having a mental disorder creates for you. They can notice it when you feel bad, so they can be there for you. They can also hang out with you and listen to you when you need someone to talk to. They remind you, that you are not alone.

In total, they encourage you to help you face your fears and resist avoiding situations that cause you anxiety.

Structure your day. Give yourself something to do, even if you start small. Having some structure in your day can make a big difference in how you feel.

Keeping a daily diary or schedule can be a big help in keeping your mood stable and preventing you from feeling overwhelmed, especially if you’re a visual person.

Exercise! Daily physical activity improves your health and mood, and helps you get rid of stress.

Try to sleep good. But don't put yourself under pressure, that only stresses you. It won't work, to force yourself to sleep. Just keep it chilled and go to bed regularly.

Daily relaxation time. If you feel anxious, try a relaxation technique, like Box Breathing or Hand Relaxation.

Whenever possible, try to calm yourself down without leaving the situation. If you start thinking of leaving to calm down as an escape, it can make your anxiety worse.