Triumph Over Shyness: Conquering Shyness & Social Anxiety

Social anxiety is a disabling condition affecting 10 million Americans who fear being embarrassed in public. The toll on thier professional and personal lives is enormous. People with social anxiety - social phobia - are often too terrified to answer questions in public or too timid to defend their own ideas. And they have difficulty making friends, dating and forming relationships, which puts them at risk for loneliness and depression. In fact, one in 20 people suffers from this debilitating shyness. This text is written by two experts in the field of social phobia. In addition to offering information on where and how to seek professional help the book also presents pointers that those who suffer from shyness can begin to implement immediately to help them overcome their phobia. These strategies include ending mental put-downs by learning to replace statements like "I shouldn't have said that, everyone will think I'm an idiot" with positive self-talk, "No harm done, the remark just showed I was being friendly". Endorsed by the American Association of Anxiety Disorders, this book aims to help readers overcome the fear and anxiety felt in social situations and how to lead fuller, more rewarding lives both professionaly and personally.

About the Author :
Murray B Stein, M.D., F.R.C.P.C. is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and Director of the Anxiety & Traumatic Stress Program at UCSD and at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System. His research interests includes social phobia, panic disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Dr. Stein has published over 100 articles on these topics in journals such as The Lancet and the Journal of the American Medical Association. and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America. John R. Walker, Ph.D. is a registered clinical psychologist and Coordinator of the Anxiety Disorders Program at St. Boniface General Hospital in Winnipeg, Canada. He is also an Associate Professor of Clinical Health Psychology at the University of Manitoba and supervises senior clinical psychology students in their training in treatment of anxiety disorders. He is an editor of a book titled Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia: A Comprehensive Guide for the Practitioner (1991) and more recently has written chapters on social anxiety disorder and treatment of intense illness worries. Dr. Walker has a special interest in self-help approaches to treatment of anxiety disorders and has completed treatment evaluation studies demonstrating the benefits of self-help materials with panic disorder and social phobia.