Social anxiety disorder (sometimes known as social phobia) is an excessive fear of social situations and of social interactions with other people. These situations may bring about feelings of self-consciousness, feelings of being negatively judged and self-critical thinking. Most people feel anxiety in certain social situations (Public speaking, job interviews, etc.), but usually it is not significant enough to prevent them from living a full and sociable life. For people with Social Anxiety, these fears can affect every social situation that they encounter and can affect their quality of life and general well-being. It can affect people in many different ways.
People with social anxiety disorder may experience high amounts of anxiety in some of the following situations:
- Being introduced to other people
- Being the centre of attention
- Talking with people in authority
- Attending a social gathering
- Talking on the telephone
- Making eye contact with people
- Speaking in front of people
- Doing grocery shopping
- Walking into a new environment/public space (cafés, restaurants, etc)
- Performing in front of people at work
Symptoms of Social Anxiety
- A feeling of intense fear in social situations and /or thinking about social situations
- An avoidance of social situations
- Hyper-vigilance, an increased awareness of people and events happening around you
- Self-critical thinking/thoughts
- Mind going blank in social situations
- Catastrophizing
- Physical symptoms may include:
- Sweating
- Shaking
- Tensing Up
- Sense of dread
- Racing heart
- Racing thoughts
- Turning red or blushing
- Feeling sick
The NHS description of Social Anxiety Disorder can be found at http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-anxiety/Pages/Social-anxiety.aspx