[雙語]社交恐懼癥：不只是害羞

Before finally accepting a position as department head, Wu Ting turned down three promotion opportunities in the past 20 years just so she could avoid giving presentations at large gatherings.
吳婷（音譯）最終還是接受了部門經(jīng)理這個職位，在過去的20年里她已拒絕了3次升職機會，而她這樣做的目的只是為了避免在一大群人面前做報告。

Wu works for a State-owned corporation in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province. Not long after joining the company, she was asked to convey to her colleagues the proceedings of a meeting that she had attended.
吳婷在四川省會成都的一家國企工作。剛進單位不久，她就被要求向其他同事轉(zhuǎn)述自己剛參加過的一次會議的進程。

The then green hand was left speechless, unable to recollect anything from the meeting.
那時的吳婷還是個職場新人，她站在那兒說不出話來，也想不起會議上的任何事情。

That was the start of Wu`s fear of speaking in front of more than five people.
從那時起，吳婷便開始害怕在超過5人的場合講話。

The psychological problem that has bothered Wu for two decades is known as social anxiety disorder (SAD), or social phobia, and is characterized by a distracting nervousness in large gatherings and a powerful desire to avoid such situations.
這種困擾吳婷20年之久的心理問題被稱作為社交恐懼癥，特征為在人群面前過度緊張，致使注意力無法集中，以及有強烈愿望希望逃避此類場合。

"I felt awkward and kept thinking I was not worthy," Wu told her doctor.
吳婷告訴醫(yī)生：“我感到很尷尬，總覺得自己不夠優(yōu)秀。”

As a result, every time the 38-year-old was given new, higher responsibilities, she would apply for a transfer to another department, so she could work as a junior staff member.
因此，每當38歲的吳婷被委以重任時，她都會申請調(diào)到其他部門，這樣她就可以只做一名初級職員了。

The symptoms of SAD are often put down to shyness and hence the condition is still largely ignored in China, says Zhang Mingyuan, a doctor with Shanghai Mental Health Center.
上海精神疾控中心醫(yī)生張明遠（音譯）表示，社交恐懼癥的癥狀常被看作是害羞，因而在中國仍在很大程度上被忽視。

Sufferers like Wu fear putting themselves through an evaluation by others, convinced that such assessment will be negative and embarrassing.
像吳婷這樣的患者害怕被他人評價并堅信這些評價會是消極難堪的。

In most cases, the dread is either caused by self-contempt from an embarrassing experience like Wu`s, or negative comments from those with whom the victim has significant social interactions, such as family members, teachers or colleagues.
大多數(shù)情況下，這種恐懼源自一次尷尬經(jīng)歷所帶來的自卑（就像吳婷的遭遇一樣）；或是來自于患者的主要社會互動關(guān)系人群（如家人，老師或同事）的負面評價。

Zhang adds that even seeing the doctor is distressing to those suffering from social phobia. Constrained by awkward feelings, they are inclined to avoid being diagnosed.
張明遠補充說，對于患有社交障礙的人來說，甚至就連看醫(yī)生都是件痛苦的事情。被一種尷尬的感覺束縛，他們會有意逃避診斷。

While there is no official figure of people suffering from SAD in China, an estimate given by Professor Zhang Xinkai, of the School of Medicine of Shanghai Jiaotong University, to China Newsweek puts the figure as "at least 30 million".
中國目前還沒有社交恐懼癥患者的具體人數(shù)，《中國新聞周刊》報道稱，上海交通大學醫(yī)學院教授張新凱（音譯）的所估計的人數(shù)為“最少3000萬”。

"The increase in the number of patients hints at a large group of sufferers," he says, adding that this may also reflect people`s increasing awareness of the disorder.
他表示：“就診病人人數(shù)的增加反映出患者數(shù)量的巨大。”同時他也指出，這一現(xiàn)象還反映出了人們對這一疾病的認知有所提升。

He says that while being shy is normal, it is when the shyness interferes with an individual`s daily communication with colleagues and others and becomes tortuous, that it becomes a disorder.
他說，害羞很正常，但當害羞干擾到你和同事及他人的日常交流，且變得復(fù)雜，那它就成了一種疾病。

Patients coming to the center can be grouped into two age groups, 19 to 25, and 40 to 50, says Meng Jingya, a doctor at the mental health center of West China Hospital.
華西醫(yī)院精神疾控中心的醫(yī)生孟景亞（音譯）說，中心的患者被分成兩個年齡組，一組為19歲-25歲，一組為40歲-50歲。

Meng says young patients, many of whom are senior high school and university graduates, often come to see the doctor with their parents. Most find it hard to adapt to the changes from high school to university, or to life after graduation.
孟景亞介紹說，許多年輕患者是高中或大學畢業(yè)生，通常都由父母陪同前來就診。這些人中大多數(shù)覺得難以適應(yīng)高中到大學，或是從校園到畢業(yè)后生活所發(fā)生的變化。

Parents fail to cultivate the social skills of their children during their school years, as parents, teachers and society in general focus mainly on their academic performance, Meng says.
孟景亞說，通常家長，老師和社會主要關(guān)注孩子們的學業(yè)表現(xiàn)，因此家長沒能在孩子讀書時培養(yǎng)他們的社會技能。

In a few cases, there is a genetic link, with the afflicted youngsters` parents also showing symptoms of SAD.
個別病例則與基因遺傳有關(guān)，年輕患者的父母們也表現(xiàn)出社交恐懼癥的癥狀。

Those aged between 40 and 50 are often under heavy pressure from work, family and social relationships, and these may cause SAD.
年齡介于40-50歲之間的患者通常都處于工作、家庭和社交的重壓之下，這些都有可能導致社交恐懼癥的產(chǎn)生。

The younger the age, the better the treatment`s efficacy, Meng says. For most young patients, a 10-session group therapy over three months can produce marked results.
孟景亞表示，年齡越小，治療效果也就越好。對于大多數(shù)年輕患者來說，在3個月內(nèi)接受10次集體治療法便可獲得明顯療效。

In mild cases, just one or two sessions of group therapy is all that is required.
而對于病情較輕者，只需要1或2次集體治療就足夠了。

Zhang Wei recalls how Wu Ting attended six therapy sessions and learnt relaxation techniques, besides rehearsing presentations. She finally succeeded in facing her supervisors to detail her accomplishments.
張薇（音譯）回憶到，吳婷前后共接受了6次治療，她不僅學會了放松的技巧，還排練了報告內(nèi)容。她終于可以坦然面對主管并詳細列舉自己的工作業(yè)績了。

But for those suffering from severe symptoms, medication may be necessary, Meng says. They may also have to be put through further individual therapy, he adds.
但孟景亞表示，對于那些癥狀嚴重者，藥物治療是必不可少的。他還補充說，他們可能要進行進一步的單獨治療。