Effectiveness of mindfulness-based counseling on social anxiety disorder among adolescents

Abstract

Social anxiety and related conditions remain one of the most significant deterrents that adolescents face when engaging in social situations. Adolescents are at a stage of vulnerability that leaves the door open for a high incidence rate of social anxiety or Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). Additionally, this condition brings with it a myriad of other mental health issues such as low self-esteem, depression, other anxiety disorders, substance abuse, to name a few. There is an increasingly high demand for non-invasive and nonintrusive therapeutic techniques to tackle this mental health concern amongst adolescents. This is where Mindfulness comes in; an act of being aware of the self, its sensory experiences, thoughts, and emotions, without any judgment. It is simply, a state of being in the present. This paper seeks to examine the effectiveness of Mindfulness-based therapeutic techniques in reducing social anxiety symptoms among adolescents. Mindfulness-based counseling techniques and related concepts are found to be instrumental in helping individuals attain emotional and cognitive self-regulation, and shift their attentional bias to incorporate experiences attained through all sensory modalities. Thereby reducing anxiety-related symptoms, depression, etc.