Social Phobia

Wismer: I would never initiate. I would never reach out.

Narrator: As a child, Katherine Wismer remembers being shy and afraid and by the age of 20, almost too panicked to leave her house.

Wismer: I was afraid to go across the street to get the mail. I was that phobic, that afraid. Years later Katherine's illness was diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder called social phobia. It affects an estimated 10 million Americans.

Royburn: What happens with these individuals is they become quite disabled and impaired.

Narrator: University of Washington psychiatrist Dr. Peter Royburn says social phobia differs from clinical depression.

Royburn: These individuals oftentimes feel that they are the object of other people's scrutiny. That they are being harshly judged, looked at, and evaluated.

Narrator: The condition tends to run in families and usually begins in junior high school. Dr. Royburn says anti-depressant drugs and behavioral therapy to learn social and assertive skills help many people who suffer from social phobia.

Wismer: I like being in front of groups now.

Narrator: She records her thoughts to help redirect her thinking and reduce her fears.

Wismer: But what happens in life is that we think that the thoughts are our reality when they're not. They're very separate. After struggling for 20 years, Katherine says even if she's being judged, she doesn't care.

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