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Social Anxiety Disorder ( Sad ) Essay

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Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is the third largest mental health problem in the world. The latest government data shows that social anxiety disorders affect about 7% of the population at any given time. The lifetime prevalence rate (the chances of developing a social anxiety disorder at any time during their lifespan) stands slightly above 13% (Richards Ph.D., Psychologist, 2016). Social Anxiety is not shyness; it is a real disorder that involves interaction with others. It is a fear of being judged by others and that judgment being wrong. It causes people to have anxiety and fear of failure. People with this disorder tend to be shy, withdrawn, and may seem to be unsocial since they fear judgement. Although people with this disorder want to be friendly, and want to be open and social in public situations, the fear of judgement and anxiety that it causes holds them back. Many things can trigger these symptoms and they can be experienced in many ways:
• Being introduced to new people
• Being teased or criticized a lot
• Being the center of attention
• Having to speak in front of a group of people (Richards Ph.D., Psychologist, 2016)
This is by no means a complete list, other symptoms can also be associated with this disorder as well (Richards Ph.D., Psychologist, 2016).
Ever since the term social phobia was introduced in 1980, there has been a lot of confusion as to the differences between “shyness” and “social anxiety disorder (formerly social phobia) to the point that

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