Sonali Thakur* has social anxiety. She was stuck at home during the two pandemic years and had very little social interaction. The only person she was regularly in touch with was her boyfriend from college.
During this period, a lack of exercise and bad eating habits led to her putting on weight and developing body image issues. When her boyfriend dumped her in early 2021, her self-esteem crumbled. So, when it was time to start afresh in a private college, she found it difficult to leave the house.
“Thoughts about introducing herself to a roomful of strangers who would stare at her made her feel nauseous, dizzy and sweaty,” recalls Swati Mahajan, psychologist and rehabilitation counsellor, narrating the case. “She knew from experience that she won’t be able to think clearly because her anxiety would be invariably high. She was also worried that her voice would quiver, and she would sound scared.
Skipping the first day of class to avoid the possibility of having to introduce herself was the easiest way out.” “It was a classic case of scopophobia,” is Mahajan’s expert assessment. Scopophobia, described as a persistent fear of being watched or stared at, falls within the spectrum of social anxiety disorders.
Its most prominent signs include high anxiety, self-consciousness, and avoidance of social situations. It is a well-recognised phenomenon in the field of psychology. Although it is fairly normal for people to feel anxious or nervous, when they are at the cent.