Social Anxiety Disorder Glossary
adrenaline - A transmitter produced by the adrenal gland and by the sympatheic nervous system. It causes most of the physical symptoms produced by fear, panic and anxiety. Also see: epinephrine
anxiety - The emotion of fear, tension, or uneasiness.
benzodiazepine - A class of medications that are used primarily as anti-anxiety, anti-panic, and sleeping agents that are commonly referred to as tranquilizers. Common benzodiazepines are Valium™, Xanax™, and Klonopin™.
beta-blockers - any of a class of drugs that combine with and block the activity of a beta-receptor to decrease the heart rate and lower high blood pressure.
CBT - Cognitive Behavior Therapy. A form of psychotherapy that emphasizes the substitution of desirable patterns of thinking for irrational faulty ones.
depersonalization - A strange or unreal feeling related to the self. Example: Feeling that your mind is outside your body,that your arms or legs are detached from your body or belongs to someone else.
detoxification - the medical treatment of withdrawing someone from addictive drugs such as alcohol through medications and hospitalization to minimize the withdrawal symptoms.
Dopamine - A neurotransmitter in the brain that regulates thought, movement and behavior.
GABA - Gamma Amino Butyric Acid. The major inhibitory neurotransmitter of the brain.
Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder—Generalized social anxiety disorder typically involves a persistent, intense, and chronic fear of being judged by others and of potentially being embarrassed or humiliated by their own actions. These fears can be triggered by perceived or actual scrutiny by others. While the fear of social interaction may be recognized by the person as excessive or unreasonable, considerable difficulty can be encountered overcoming it. Approximately 13.3 percent of the general population may meet criteria for social anxiety disorder at some point in their lifetime (according to some sources).
MAOI - A class of antidepressant medications that block or inhibit the enzyme monoamine oxidase, not only in the brain but throughout the body which increases the levels of certain neurotransmitters.
neurotransmitter - A chemical produced by nerves that allows information to be transferred from one nerve to the next. Examples: adrenaline, dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, GABA
panic attack - A spontaneous, sudden, unexpected and brief episode of terror when there is no reason to be fearful.
palpitations - A strong, rapid heart beat associated with the feeling that your heart is going to jump out of your chest.
serotonin - A neurotransmitter found in areas of the brain associated with mood, pleasure, sleep, reduction of aggression and reduction of the perception of pain.
Social Anxiety Disorder - Also known as “social phobia” or “social anxiety”. Social Anxiety Disorder is a diagnosis within psychiatry and other mental health professions referring to excessive anxiety in social situations causing relatively extreme distress and impaired ability to function in at least some areas of daily life. The diagnosis can be of a specific disorder (when only some particular situations are feared) or a generalized disorder.
SSRI - Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor. A class of antidepressants (as fluoxetine or sertraline) that inhibit the inactivation of serotonin by blocking it’s reuptake by presynaptic nerve cell endings.
tricyclic antidepressant - A class of antidepressant medications whose basic chemical structure consists of three rings hooked together.
twitch - a sudden muscle spasm, and usually one caused by a nervous condition.
withdrawal - a set of symptoms which occur when addictive drugs such as alcohol or caffeine are not increased in dosage to overcome the effects of the tolerance that builds while taking them or when they are abruptly discontinued.
