Social Anxiety

Social anxiety (also known as social phobia) is a fear of social or performance situations, such as public speaking, social gatherings, meeting new people, eating in public, using public toilets, disagreeing with others, and speaking to authority figures.

Individuals with social anxiety fear they will say or do something in these situations that will lead to embarrassment or humiliation, or that their symptoms of anxiety will be noticed by others who will then judge them negatively. Typically, patients either avoid social situations altogether or endure them with extreme distress.

Signs of social anxiety disorder:

  • Meeting strangers
  • Talking in groups or starting conversations
  • Speaking on the telephone
  • Talking to authority figures
  • Working
  • Eating or drinking with company
  • Shopping
  • Have low self-esteem and feel insecure about their relationships
  • Fear being criticised
  • Avoid eye-to-eye contact
  • Misuse drugs or alcohol to try to reduce their anxiety