Social anxiety disorder
Social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, is a long-term and overwhelming fear of social situations.
People with social anxiety disorder feel overly worried before, during and after social situations.
Social anxiety usually develops in the teenage years. It can be a lifelong problem unless its treated.
It’s important to get help if you’re having symptoms. There are treatments that can help.
- anxiety is affecting your daily life
- you’re not looking after yourself
- you’re finding it hard to manage any responsibilities you have
Symptoms of social anxiety disorder
If you have social anxiety disorder you might:
- worry about everyday activities like meeting new people, starting conversations, speaking on the phone, working or shopping
- avoid or worry a lot about social activities like group conversations or parties
- worry about doing something embarrassing like blushing, sweating or appearing incompetent
- worry that other people are looking at you and noticing what you’re doing
- worry about eating or drinking in public
- fear being criticised, avoid eye contact or have low self esteem
- feel sick, sweaty or tremble during social situations.
Sometimes it might be caused by:
- social reasons – if you’ve been bullied or embarrassed in a social situation in the past
- psychological – you have poor social skills or think that others are paying close attention to you
- biological reasons – you may be more likely to be socially anxious if someone is your family is also socially anxious
It’s most likely that your socially anxious feelings come from a combination of all of these factors.
Treatment for social anxiety disorder
Social anxiety can have a significant effect on your daily life. There are several different treatments available that can help. These include:
- talking therapies – like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
- medication – like a type of antidepressant called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs).
There are also many things you can do yourself to help reduce your social anxiety, like:
trying a self-help course, exercising regularly, stopping smoking,
- cutting down on alcohol
- drinking less caffeine
With treatment, many people are able to control their levels of social anxiety. Some treatments may need to be continued for a long time. There may be periods where your symptoms worsen.
Self help for anxiety
Our mental health self-help guides are based on cognitive behavioural Terapy (CBT). They can help people with social anxiety disorder and other mental health issues.