DEAR ABBY: I hope you will permit me to respond to a recent letter you printed from a reader who complained of problems with blushing and embarrassment, asking what could be done about it.
I was surprised that the advice offered was essentially that nothing could be done for the problem. It sounded to me as though the writer was suffering from symptoms of social phobia, the most common form of anxiety disorder, affecting 14 percent of the population.
Blushing, sweating, trembling or heart palpitations are quite frequent physical signs of this disorder, which is characterized by fear of scrutiny or fear of humiliation/embarrassment in front of others. It can be a disabling and extremely distressing state, about which the medical profession has been largely ignorant.
I should like to point out that there are now several highly effective treatments for social phobia, including anti-depressant and anti-anxiety drugs. Also, non-medication behavioral treatments are effective. Sufferers from social phobia frequently profit by attending a phobia support group, which exists in most communities. -- JONATHAN R.T. DAVIDSON, M.D., DIRECTOR, ANXIETY AND TRAUMATIC STRESS PROGRAM, DUKE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
DEAR DR. DAVIDSON: I'm sure that many readers will join me in thanking you for this information. This was news to me, and I'm certain it will be to many others.