Social Anxiety In The United States

Anxiety is one of the most well-known disorders across the globe, but it comes in many different forms effecting numerous types of people. Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), also known as social phobia, is one of the main run-offs of anxiety that exists in the world today. It is absolutely normal to feel a little nervous or anxious before trying something new; however, Social Anxiety impels the individual diagnosed to feel distress and agitation in most, if not all, social situations that they partake in because they are afraid of the possible embarrassment that may come from it (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013).

Social anxiety disorder (SAD), also known as social phobia, is the most common mental illness in the United States. About 40 million people suffer from this mental disorder. Many tend to confuse this disorder with shyness and nervousness, which are not considered a part of the phobia. Having a SAD can interfere with one’s daily life cycle. People who have SAD often starts to develop this illness during their childhood and adolescence years. Patients are affected with this mental illness for many years before being diagnosed. Past experiences in a person 's childhood can form and shape their lives so that they may end up having social anxiety disorder. Some past experiences like bullying, depression and low self esteem can lead to the fear of socially interacting or communicating with other people.

The DSM-5 (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) defines social anxiety as, “A persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by

Social anxiety disorder, otherwise known as social phobia, is characterized as the excessive fear of social situations. Social situations can include anything from group conversations, talking to a person of authority or giving presentations (Kase, 2010). It is normal for the average person to feel mildly anxious in these types of situations, however, when this anxiety causes extreme distress it is known as a social phobia (missing Citation). Individuals that suffer from social phobia often express having a chronic fear of being watched. They frequently report experiencing a fear that someone is judging them, and they often think about the potential of doing something that could embarrass them. A lot of the time, these people struggle

What is social anxiety, how is it different from shyness? And, are we a society of anxiety? Social anxiety disorder is defined by the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, as “excessive fear in a social situation in which the person believes he or she will do something embarrassing or have anxiety symptoms, that will be humiliating” These feared situations can vary from interpersonal social interactions in small groups to talking to strangers and performance fears.

According to Lesley Stabinsky Compton (Social anxiety disorder in children and teens), Some of the most common anxiety symptoms are a trembling voice, crying, screaming, changes in heart rate, sweaty palms, headaches and more. If people avoid certain situations because of the people there, that could be caused by social anxiety. There are multiple symptoms and causes that are still unknown today.

Social anxiety occurs in approximately 10 to 20 percent of the population and is the third most common psychiatric disorder, after substance abuse and depression (Franks, 2015). To define social anxiety disorder, it is marked and persistent fear of social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar

Social phobia disorder is the least known of all anxiety disorders. Social phobia disorder, also called social anxiety disorder, is known to appear in people who fear observation in public situations (HealthGuide.org). People with this disorder fear other’s judgment of their own actions during social occasions. People with this disorder tend to appear self-conscious in uncomfortable situations and show familiar symptoms of anxiety. According to Amanda MacMillan’s article, some symptoms of anxiety

Social anxiety disorder results in a persistent feeling of fear during certain social situations. These feelings of fear get in the way of everyday life, and make it hard for those who have the disorder to properly interact within normal social situations (Social Anxiety, NIMH, 2018). Social anxiety varies

Social anxiety is the third largest physiological sickness in America, behind depression and Alcoholism. A website dedicated wholly to social anxiety claims that: “Social anxiety is the fear of being judged and evaluated negatively by other people, leading to feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, embarrassment, humiliation, and depression” (Social anxiety Institute). Social anxiety is common in our society currently. Many say it’s because of social media. The pressure of coming out of your own shell of strangers behind a screen and having to go out in the real world. Social anxiety is mostly shown at school, for adolescents, and the adolescent having to see other children all day, and almost every day. Having a social anxiety disorder can usually lead to having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Having O.C.D, in some cases, means there is no control in life, and the diagnosed patient must keep

As a result of fear, the person avoids certain social situations. They can fear a situation days or weeks before the event. This is called “antipiracy” anxiety. Many people with social anxiety disorder feel that “something is wrong” but don’t recognize their feelings as a sign of illness.It's normal to feel anxious in social situations from time to time. Many people feel nervous while they’re in job interviews or when having to give a

     People who suffer from a social phobia will worry a lot about making a fool of themselves in front of other people, and will feel very anxious before going into any of the social situations that worry them. They may go through, in great detail, all the embarrassing things that could happen. When they are actually with people, they will feel even more anxious, and may be unable to say, or do, what is intended. In a way, it is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You worry so much about looking worried that you actually do look worried. People experiencing both of these types of social phobia have many of the same physical symptoms. You may get a very dry mouth, sweat a lot, and feel your heart racing. Other people may be able to see some of the signs of this anxiety, such as blushing, stammering, shaking and trembling. Sometimes you may breathe too fast, which can give you feelings of numbness or pins and needles in the fingers and toes. This can make the anxiety even worse.     These feelings of fear and bodily symptoms can end in a panic attack. This is a short period, usually lasting only a few minutes, during which people feel overwhelmingly anxious, terrified of losing control, and may feel

You feel your hands trembling, your heart beats rapidly and your whole body is completely soaked in sweat. Many eyes stare at you intently awaiting for you to just… speak. The mere thought is extremely terrifying for you and all you want to do is crawl into a hole where you feel the safest. Social anxiety a persistent fear of being scrutinized or judged by others in social situations. Also, known as social phobia, an anxiety disorder which a person has excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. Approximately 5.3 million American adults ages 18 to 54, or about 3.7 percent of people in this age group in a given year, have social phobia.

Social anxiety can be difficult to overcome because it can impact people in many different ways. For some, the social anxiety may relate to a specific type of social activity, while for others it can be persistent and lead to a feeling of unease at all times. One of the common reasons to feel anxious is public speaking. Other reasons include using public restrooms, eating in front of others, and even attempting to make small talk.

In general, an individual has social anxiety because the fear of embarrassment of being judged and humiliated by other people. But, what really causes people to have a social anxiety? According to Valencia Higuera, “The exact cause of social phobia is unknown. However, current research supports the idea that it is caused by a combination of environmental factors and genetics. Negative experiences also may contribute to this disorder, including bullying, family conflict, and sexual abuse.” Another cause of social anxiety is “Physical abnormalities” such as “serotonin imbalance” that functioning as a response to fear and feelings of anxiety. (Higuera, 2017) Bullying is the most cause of social anxiety that takes a great effect on many individuals