What Is Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)?

We all worry about what other people think of us, but some people have a deep fear of social situations that might cause embarrassment. For them, occasions such as attending parties or meetings, eating in front of others, having conversations with others, and/or public speaking can trigger intense discomfort.[1][2] People who experience this fear often try to avoid these types of situations, and when they do engage in social activities, they can suffer a great deal, feeling physical symptoms such as gastrointestinal discomfort, sweating, tremors, or heart palpitations.[1]

Patients with SAD often view their fears as a social problem or as shyness.[3] However, intense anxiety in social situations can be a hallmark symptom of social anxiety disorder, or SAD, also known as social phobia. SAD is a chronic, debilitating psychiatric condition in which you experience abnormal fear in social situations.[1] SAD affects approximately 15 million American adults each year, making it one of the most common psychiatric disorders in the U.S., along with major depression, alcohol abuse, and specific phobias.[4][5][6]

SAD not only keeps people from enjoying being around others, it also affects many aspects of daily life. People with SAD may miss classes at school or meetings at work, or attend but not participate.[1] People with SAD may feel their disease significantly impacts their ability to function in school or at work.[7]

In one study, SAD was associated with notable disability, impacting physical and mental health, social interaction, and utilization of healthcare resources. This survey of 965 patients from 15 health clinics showed that those patients with SAD (n = 60) had worse health than patients without an anxiety disorder (n = 777). Furthermore, SAD patients experienced almost 3 times as many days with disability and visited their doctor more often than those without an anxiety disorder.[8]

In a given year, approximately 15 million Americans suffer from SAD.[4][5] SAD is under-diagnosed and often goes untreated unless other disorders are present.[9]

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References:

  1. ^ American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed, text revision. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 2000.
  2. ^ Turner SM, et al. Social phobia: a comparison of specific and generalized subtypes and avoidant personality disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 1992;101:326-31.
  3. ^ Kessler RC. The impairments caused by social phobia in the general population: implications for intervention. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 2003;108(suppl 417):19-27.
  4. ^ National Institute of Mental Health. The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America. Available at: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-
    in-america.shtml. Accessed January 10, 2008.
  5. ^ Kessler RC, et al. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry. 2005;62:617-27.
  6. ^ Kessler RC, et al. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2005;62:593-602.
  7. ^ Schneier FR, et al. Functional impairment in social phobia. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 1994;55:322-331.
  8. ^ Kroenke K, et al. Anxiety disorders in primary care: prevalence, impairment, comorbidity, and detection. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2007;146:317-25.
  9. ^ Schneier FR, et al. Social phobia: comorbidity and morbidity in an epidemiologic sample. Archives of General Psychiatry. 1992;49:282-8.

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