Overview

What it is: Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is an excessive, persistent fear of social and performance situations so severe it disrupts your daily life and relationships. People with social anxiety disorder have a persistent, intense and ongoing fear of being watched, judged by others and being embarrassed or humiliated by their own actions.

How it's diagnosed: Doctors use a set of questions to help determine whether you have social anxiety disorder. These questions focus on fears and anxieties surrounding being in social situations. They might also explore other problems, such as substance abuse or depression, which often accompany social anxiety disorder.

How it's treated: Treatment can involve medications, psychotherapy (talk therapy) or both. It is likely you will need ongoing treatment to prevent your social anxiety disorder from returning.

Paxil is the only medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of social anxiety disorder.

Some people find comfort just by learning social anxiety disorder is a medical condition. Learning more about your condition is often a good first step toward feeling better.

If you are feeling excessive anxiety about social situations, you might be wondering if your feelings are really bad enough to see a doctor, if what you are feeling is really social anxiety disorder and if you are the only one who feels the way you do.

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What Does It Feel Like?

If you have social anxiety disorder, you often have an extreme fear of a situation in which you have to meet new people or could be scrutinized by others. As a result, you experience intense anxiety in these feared social situations -- or you avoid them entirely. Often you get physical symptoms such as blushing, sweating, shaking, trembling, tense muscles, shaky voice, dry mouth or a pounding heart.

When you have social anxiety disorder you can feel very anxious in the presence of others. You might think other people are very confident in public and you are not. Just blushing can feel horribly embarrassing to you, and you might feel like everyone's eyes are always on you. You might feel anxious about giving a speech, talking to a boss or dating.

Some people with social anxiety disorder are afraid of public speaking or parties. Others feel terrible anxiety about using a public restroom, eating out, talking on the phone or writing in front of others.

Most people with social anxiety are aware their feelings are irrational. Even if they do manage to confront what they fear, they often feel anxious beforehand and intensely uncomfortable through the situation. After it is over, these feelings might continue because they worry about how they were judged or what others thought or said about them.

Almost everyone experiences some social anxiety now and then -- it's normal. However, social anxiety disorder consistently limits the lifestyle of those with the condition, in some cases causing them to not participate in school, avoid making friends or miss important opportunities at work. Some people with social anxiety disorder avoid all socially-related situations, severely limiting their life, work and social relationships.

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How Common Is Social Anxiety Disorder?

Social anxiety disorder is a lot more common than you may think. It is actually the third most common psychiatric disorder in the United States -- approximately 12 million Americans have social anxiety disorder in any given year. The good news is social anxiety disorder is treatable. Many people recover from social anxiety disorder and enjoy more productive lives.

Social anxiety disorder occurs more often in women. The disorder usually begins in childhood or early adolescence.

Recovery does not happen overnight, but with the right treatment you can get better. You can feel confident it is possible to live the way you want to -- in control of your anxiety.

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