Social phobia can actually affect anyone – the poor, the rich, the old, the young, the healthy, the sick, and many more. But what really is social phobia? Well, it is a disorder characterized by extreme fear or anxiety of literally every social situation. Each person suffering from social phobia is unique as to what social situation can trigger their fear response. For one, conversing with other people in one group may cause anxiety. For another, an act of drinking and eating in front of many people may produce dread and panic. If it is extreme, the sufferers’ anxiety may actually be present in any social situations, making life very difficult to handle and navigate.
1. Kim Basinger
She is popularly known from her movie roles including the Bond girl in the movie ‘Never Say Never Again’, of in her excellent performance in various films like ‘The Natural’ or ‘g1/2 Weeks’. She speaks very openly about her suffering from this disorder. She can even recall her feeling fear of reading in class.
2. Barbara Streisand
People tend to see Barbara as a multi talented and fearless celebrity. But little do they know that she actually suffers from social phobia. She was open about her performance anxiety, which began in the year 1967.
3. Donny Osmond
There’s definitely something extremely likeable about Osmond. Despite his fame as an excellent pop stat, he comes across being very humble and approachable. In 2000, during an interview, he revealed about him being diagnosed with the social phobia.
4. Ricky Williams
Imagine a reserved and shy college student who suddenly thrust in the limelight, but unable to deal with the unbearable social phobia. This is all about Ricky Williams – a football player, who publicly revealed his diagnosis. At the age of 22, he had everything most young men want – fortune, fame, and an ability of traveling anywhere in this world, but he was so afraid even to leave his house.
5. Sir Laurence Olivier
Sir Laurence Olivier is one of the most reputable talents in both theater and cinema. He is also recognized as the master in his craft, and pioneer to lots of the storytelling and acting techniques used today. Unfortunately, he was a sufferer of social phobia at the very peak of his great career.
6. Marilyn Monroe
Unlike all the superstars, it is known by most people that she lived actually far from an amazing life. She is definitely among the most popular celebrities who are suffering from social phobia. Being a stunning actress and model, with a very charmed career in music, she is also victimized from her success.
These are just some of the famous celebrities stricken by social phobia. There are actually countless more of famous individuals and celebrities with different anxiety disorders. But the most important thing that you can learn from all of them is that they strive to battle this disorder by seeking help. They recognized about their anxiety being a problem, thus they dedicated themselves to handling this problem.
