Social phobia case study
Amy is 17 years old high school senior. She is a transfer student from a catholic high school, where she was part of a smaller class. She is finishing high school in few weeks. Lately, her friends have been noticing that she appears to be uptight and is not show interest in social activities. She spends most of her free time in reading books and articles. When it is time to do a presentation in class, fellow classmates have notices that she is anxious and perspires profusely while in front of class. People have also noticed that she rubs her hands together as she is responding to the teacher., When the teacher spoke with Amy about anxiety, Amy said “ I know I am more fearful than I need to be and I’m not sure why or what to do about it”
The feared social or performance situations are either avoided or endured with intense anxiety or distress. The avoidance, anxious anticipation, or distress in the feared social or performance situation(s) interferes significantly with the individual's normal routine, occupational or academic functioning, or social activities or relationships. Individual may also exhibit marked distress about having the phobia. The fear or avoidance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (drug of abuse or medication) or a general medical condition. It is not better accounted for by another mental disorder such as panic disorder with or without agoraphobia, separation anxiety disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, a pervasive developmental disorder, or schizoid personality disorder. If a general medical condition or another mental disorder is present such as stuttering, trembling in Parkinson's disease, or exhibiting abnormal eating behavior as in anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, the fear associated with social phobia is unrelated to it. The symptom duration if the patient is under the age of 18 is over 6 months (DSM-IV-TR 456).
Physical exam: An exam is generally not helpful in diagnosing social phobia. The
The feared social or performance situations are either avoided or endured with intense anxiety or distress. The avoidance, anxious anticipation, or distress in the feared social or performance situation(s) interferes significantly with the individual's normal routine, occupational or academic functioning, or social activities or relationships. Individual may also exhibit marked distress about having the phobia. The fear or avoidance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (drug of abuse or medication) or a general medical condition. It is not better accounted for by another mental disorder such as panic disorder with or without agoraphobia, separation anxiety disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, a pervasive developmental disorder, or schizoid personality disorder. If a general medical condition or another mental disorder is present such as stuttering, trembling in Parkinson's disease, or exhibiting abnormal eating behavior as in anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, the fear associated with social phobia is unrelated to it. The symptom duration if the patient is under the age of 18 is over 6 months (DSM-IV-TR 456).
Physical exam: An exam is generally not helpful in diagnosing social phobia. The