Causes of Social phobia

Contents

Social phobia Causes: Male-Female Gender Ratio

Gender of Patients for Social phobia: Men and women equally....more »

Gender Profile of Social phobia: Women and men are equally likely to develop social phobia. (Source: excerpt from Anxiety Disorders: NIMH) ...more »

Gender Profile of Social phobia: Social phobia occurs in women twice as often as in men, although a higher proportion of men seeks help for this disorder. (Source: excerpt from Facts about Social Phobia: NIMH) ...more »

Social phobia: Related Medical Conditions

To research the causes of Social phobia, consider researching the causes of these these diseases that may be similar, or associated with Social phobia:

Social phobia: Causes and Types

Causes of Broader Categories of Social phobia: Review the causal information about the various more general categories of medical conditions:

What causes Social phobia?

Article excerpts about the causes of Social phobia:
Research to define causes of social phobia is ongoing.

Some investigations implicate a small structure in the brain called the amygdala in the symptoms of social phobia. The amygdala is believed to be a central site in the brain that controls fear responses.
Animal studies are adding to the evidence that suggests social phobia can be inherited. In fact, researchers supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) recently identified the site of a gene in mice that affects learned fearfulness.
One line of research is investigating a biochemical basis for the disorder. Scientists are exploring the idea that heightened sensitivity to disapproval may be physiologically or hormonally based.
Other researchers are investigating the environment's influence on the development of social phobia. People with social phobia may acquire their fear from observing the behavior and consequences of others, a process called observational learning or social modeling.

(Source: excerpt from Facts about Social Phobia: NIMH)