Q My heart feels like it will burst and I cannot find my words when standing in front of people. Is this just a shy personality, or is it a disorder?
A Social phobia (social anxiety disorder) is not a personality trait but a medical condition in which the brain's fear response circuit becomes overactivated. It is difficult to overcome by willpower alone and requires proper treatment.
Detailed Answer
Social phobia is distinct from being simply shy or introverted. The fear of negative evaluation by others becomes irrationally exaggerated, causing extreme anxiety and physical reactions — racing heart, flushing, trembling, and voice seizing up — in everyday situations such as presentations, conversations, meals, or phone calls. It is a brain-based disorder experienced by 7–13% of the global population and often begins during adolescence or early adulthood. Left untreated, avoidance behaviors solidify and can lead to social isolation and depression.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
In Korean medicine, social phobia is viewed as an overlap of Liver Qi Stagnation (간기울결) and Heart-Gallbladder Deficiency with Timidity (심담허겁). The Liver governs planning and decisiveness; when this energy is blocked, self-confidence falls and one becomes hypersensitive to others' gaze. At Dongjedang, we approach this by releasing the Liver's coursing-and-draining (疏泄) function and tonifying Gallbladder Qi to restore courage.
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