Information About Treating Anxiety Disorders

Information About Treating Social Anxiety Disorder

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a severe, disabling form of shyness that is characterized by the fear of one or more social situations, such as meeting new people, talking to people in authority, attending parties or meetings, talking in front of a group of people, and eating in public. Sometimes the problem can be minor and limited to one situation, such as not speaking up in class or a business meeting, or it can be very serious and widespread.

People with social anxiety disorder often try to avoid the situations that make them anxious, but when they cannot, they feel very anxious and self-conscious. They may blush, pale, sweat, tremble, stammer, and/or have a panic attack. They are very concerned about being looked at or judged by other people, and they fear that they will be embarrassed or "humiliated" if other people notice their physical signs of anxiety.

Social anxiety disorder is very common. Approximately 1 out of 7 or 8 people will suffer from social anxiety/phobia at some point in their lives. There is not one cause for social anxiety but several factors that contribute to the problem, including genetics, prior experiences, negative thinking patterns, and poor social skills.