Do you experience sudden episodes of intense and overwhelming fear that seem to come on for no apparent reason? Read More

Clinical Disorders and Problem Areas

Extensive research on Cognitive and Behavioural Psychotherapies has been carried out.
It has been shown to be an effective form of treatment, particularly for the following:

Obsessional OCD

Obsessional OCD

Here Jackie describes this distressing problem. Obsessional OCD is a form of OCD that people are often very frightened of or are too embarrassed to talk about.

Social Anxiety

Associated terms: Social Anxiety Disorder, SAD, Social Phobia, Performance Anxiety, Generalised Social Anxiety, Shyness

About Social Anxiety:

We all care about what other people think of us to some degree. Some people’s opinions might matter more to us than others. Almost everyone gets a little anxious or embarrassed in front of other people from time to time or in certain situations.

However, some of us are more anxious than others and that anxiety can start to interfere with our day to day life. People with Social Anxiety (SAD)/Social Phobia are sometimes described as being “over-concerned” about what other people think of them as distinct from being “just concerned”.

The following are commons signs or features of this problem:
  • Feeling embarrassed or nervous about beginning conversations.
     
  • Not enjoying social events or being in groups due to nervousness, or uncomfortable feelings.
     
  • Feeling anxious or uncomfortable in 1:1 situations or conversations.
     
  • Getting anxious when presenting to others / talking to authority figures.
     
  • Fearing having to do certain things in front of others for example having to write or sign a signature. This is also called performance anxiety.
     
  • Experiencing uncomfortable physical symptoms including blushing, sweating, trembling, racing heart or palpitations in social situations.
     
  • 'Severe shyness'.
     
  • Feeling nervous when the ‘spotlight is on’ or they are the centre of attention.
     
  • Avoiding social situations or ‘suffering’ through them due to significant anxiety.
Sometimes people with this problem can be very comfortable and at ease in certain social situations but very anxious in others, it can vary according to the situation, themselves or the individual or group of people involved.

CBT has been established as an effective approach to this problem.

Recommended reading or self-help includes:

Overcoming Social Anxiety and Shyness by Gillian Butler .

Dying of Embarrassment - Markway, Carmin, Pollard and Flynn

Painfully Shy - B. Markway and G. Markway

 

Contact Information

If you want any further information or would like to arrange an appointment, please contact me.

Jackie O’Kelly,
Heather Edge,
Lullymore,
Rathangan,
Co.Kildare.



Mobile: 086 0530445
Email: jackie@cbt-ireland.ie