By Leonardo Dominguez Ortega and Darby Saxbe
February 2020: You are a normal teenager waking up for school. You go to the first round and chat with your tablemates. Your chemistry assignment is tough, but you’ll figure it out together. Lunch comes and you flock to your group of friends. You’re all sitting shoulder to shoulder with trays of freshly microwaved pizza in front of you. Instagram video. Then you present it after lunch in Spanish class. You play with the tag of your sweater to get over your nerves, but when your presentation on Frida Kahlo is over, you feel a weight lift off. A few hours later, the soccer game starts and you meet some kids from the opposite school. They’ll be taking the SAT soon too, and you’ll realize how boring it is. You all sit together and enjoy the game until you are picked up by your parents. You get in the car and think about your day. You have a lot social anxietyand your therapist has challenged you to face difficult situations. Even if it’s a tough day, you’ll feel much better.
April 2020: School starts at 8 a.m. and you wake up at 7:58 a.m. While you’re still in bed, you reach for your Chromebook. You enter the Zoom system – the camera and microphone are turned off, of course. Travels all day. You play video games after “school” and before you know it, it’s 1:00 a.m. You haven’t seen anyone and done very little with your day. The COVID 19 The pandemic has taken over your daily life and social life worry came back. How do you get back to normal?
Adolescence very difficult period. Major life transitions, such as starting high school and entering adulthood, can result stress and makes it difficult to adjust. Social anxiety disorder (SAD), severe fear The judgment of others in social interactions (Aderka et al., 2013) is a common problem faced by adolescents, with 17% of young people worldwide dealing with this disorder (Salari et al., 2024). Despite these challenges, social relationships play an important role in adolescent development and help alleviate these challenges (Butler et al., 2022). Therefore, exposure to social interactions is a key aspect of SAD treatment. This aspect of treatment takes advantage of the school environment: ample opportunities for social interaction.
In the spring of 2020, school procedures have been radically changed. Governments quickly imposed lockdowns, social distancing measures and closed schools to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Overnight, everyday classroom conversations and after-school conversations turned into hours of staring at black boxes on computer screens.
At first glance, this may seem like a winning lottery ticket for teenagers with SAD. You consider removing the requirement to work on the game, talking to peers or teachers athletic event, or walking down the hall in front of an inspection, seems to address these concerns. Indeed, some researchers have suggested that the pandemic may have served as a positive respite for those struggling with social interactions (Kindred & Bates, 2023). However, a closer look suggests that these changes may have made SAD more difficult to treat in the long term.
Impact of COVID-19 on the treatment of social anxiety disorder
We know that we can effectively treat social anxiety using treatments such as social skills training, interpersonal communication psychotherapyand drug. Among these treatments cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is particularly effective when exposed to particularly adverse situations (Heimber & Magee, 2014; Radtke et al., 2020).
In a therapy setting, clients are forced to act out hypothetical scenarios that match their fears and anxieties. They know that, although these moments are sad, they are not fatal – they are taught to endure them. Treatment is then included in non-treatment homework to promote their benefits in real life. Clients assume the role of a “scientist” who gathers information to dispel their fears and anxieties. If a teenager has difficulty talking to others, he is assigned homework to start and maintain conversations with new peers. If he fights with them attentionthey may be asked to raise their hands more often in class. In general, the goal is to be wrong. The goal is for clients to incorporate this information into their thinking patterns, replacing their fears and anxieties with more realistic scenarios supported by experience.
School is a beneficial environment for homework because it fosters social interaction and fosters friendships. Students meet their peers in a variety of places, from riding the bus to school, sitting together in class, participating in clubs or sports. If you’ve had SAD and received treatment during the pandemic, you know firsthand that the treatment process has been extremely difficult via Zoom. Rather than forcing yourself to interact with your peers, exposure exercises are discussed with the clinician via screen.
Why is this important and what happens next?
So what does it all mean? SAD can make it difficult for young people to make the most of this exciting time in their lives. We have very effective treatments to overcome these challenges, but their magic dust has been challenged by the challenges of COVID-19. Instead of benefiting from the full effect of the treatment, progress was halted or reversed altogether.
As a result, if you’ve been treated for SAD during the pandemic and feel like it’s not helping the way you’d like, don’t worry: you’re not doing anything wrong. Rather, the main component of the meal, the cure, was missing. If your social anxiety is still rearing its ugly head, treatment in a better setting outside of the pandemic may be what you’re looking for. Accept the impact of lack of social distancing and give treatment another shot.
To find a therapist, please visit Directory of psychology therapy today.
