Are There Other Types of Social Anxiety?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypes of Social Anxiety DisorderClinical Symptoms of Social Anxiety DisorderSpecific Social PhobiasRelated and Co-Occurring DisordersTreatmentSocial Anxiety vs. Social Anxiety Disorder

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Types of Social Anxiety Disorder

Clinical Symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder

Specific Social Phobias

Related and Co-Occurring Disorders

Treatment

Social Anxiety vs. Social Anxiety Disorder

Close

“Social anxiety” is a term that’s thrown around an awful lot. But what does it actually mean to have social anxiety?

Read on to learn more about the different types of social anxiety, its signs and symptoms, and what you can do to treat it.

Social anxiety disorder can be divided into two types - generalized and non-generalized.

Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder

“Social anxiety can includefear that people are looking at you, talking about you, overly concerned with your behavior, etc.” explainsAmy Marschall, PsyD. “It is not just feeling anxious or overwhelmed in the social environment but specifically includes that preoccupation with being watched or judged.”

They might not be able to go grocery shopping for fear of having to interact with the cashier, or they might become socially isolated because they feel they cannot go out to a restaurant with a friend.

Work life might also be affected if the person with social anxiety disorder feels they cannot speak on the phone or interact with colleagues at the office. Symptoms like these can make life with social anxiety exceedingly difficult.

Social anxiety can manifest asphysical symptomsas well, says Dr. Marschall. “Many people with social anxiety disorder become so activated that they become physically ill and can vomit!”

Many people with social anxiety disorder become so activated that they become physically ill and can vomit!—AMY MARSCHALL, PSYD

Many people with social anxiety disorder become so activated that they become physically ill and can vomit!

—AMY MARSCHALL, PSYD

Non-Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder

Non-generalized social anxiety disorder represents a more limited range of situations that evoke debilitating anxiety than its generalized counterpart.

For example, someone with non-generalized SAD might have an overwhelming fear of public speaking, but can function without much or any anxiety in other circumstances, like at parties or eating in restaurants.

Introversion vs. Social Anxiety: What’s the Difference?

If you experience these symptoms, you might have social anxiety disorder.

Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS)

For some, the social phobia is centered around some kind of public performance, such as giving a speech, participating in a sporting event, or playing a musical instrument in a concert.

Others might react to interpersonal situations with extreme anxiety. Going on a date or even just meeting a new person might feel impossible. They might be unable to answer a question in class or make it through a job interview.

For some, the fears are much more based on what many people would consider everyday activities. Anything from ordering a drink in a coffee shop to eating in public to using a public restroom can make someone with social anxiety fear rejection, humiliation, and judgment.

Is Stage Fright Considered a Phobia?

Social anxiety disorder can present on its own or in conjunction with other mental disorders.

“While people with GAD often have some social anxiety traits, GAD is not specific to fears of being perceived, watched, or judged,” explains Dr. Marschall. “It includes worries about many different things.”

Social anxiety can also present with co-occurringpanic disorder.Panic attacks, which are the onset of sudden extreme anxiety along with physical symptoms such as chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath, sweating, trembling, and fears of losing control, going crazy, or dying, can also occur as part of social anxiety disorder itself. However, in contrast to social anxiety disorder where the primary concern is about the scrutiny of others, in panic disorder the concern is about the panic attacks themselves.

People who have both social anxiety and panic disorder might experience panic attacks in both social situations and other non-social circumstances.

Comorbidities in Mental Health

Although social anxiety disorder can feel overwhelming, there are treatments out there that can address its symptoms and cut it off at the source.

Therapy

Therapy can be effective when dealing with social anxiety.

“Cognitive behavioral therapy has strong research backing to treat many anxiety disorders, including social anxiety. However, this is not the right fit for everyone,” says Dr. Marschall. “For some, if the social anxiety occurred as a result of bullying, for example, they may need to address underlying trauma.”

After acknowledging everything you are feeling as part of your social anxiety, you can better manage your internal reactions and approach the situation with more clarity and self-acceptance. This is especially important for those experiencing social anxiety, who often feel ashamed of their symptoms.

Medication

Antidepressants likeSSRIs(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) andSNRIs(serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) have been successful intreating symptoms of social anxiety disorder.

Beta-blockers like propranololare sometimes used to decrease some of the physical responses associated with performance anxieties. Anti-anxiety medications likebenzodiazepines(Klonopin, Ativan, and Xanax) can be useful, although come with the risk of tolerance and dependence.

Group Support

In addition to therapy and medication, support groups and group therapy can be especially helpful to those with social anxiety disorder.By connecting with others who also experience social anxiety, you can learn whatcoping mechanismshave worked for them. You can also hear about others’ experiences in situations that have historically triggered you, all in a safe space that is designed to mitigate this type of anxiety.

It is perfectly natural to experience social anxiety sometimes. Meeting new people can be scary, public speaking can be intimidating, and talking on the phone can be a chore. But the difference between experiencing some social anxiety and being diagnosed with social anxiety disorder mainly comes down to whether your fear, anxiety, or avoidance causes significant distress or impairment in your life. If your anxiety keeps you from doing things you would otherwise like to or need to do, it might be a clinical issue.

What’s The Difference Between Social Phobia and Social Anxiety Disorder?

Final Thoughts

Finding Social Anxiety Support Groups

7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Chowdhury N, Khandoker AH.The gold-standard treatment for social anxiety disorder: A roadmap for the future.Front Psychol. 2023 Jan 18;13:1070975. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1070975Priyamvada R, Kumari S, Prakash J, Chaudhury S.Cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of social phobia.Ind Psychiatry J. 2009 Jan;18(1):60-3. doi:10.4103/0972-6748.57863Soltani E, Bahrainian SA, Farhoudian A, Masjedi Arani A, Gachkar L.Effectiveness of Acceptance Commitment Therapy in Social Anxiety Disorder: Application of a Longitudinal Method to Evaluate the Mediating Role of Acceptance, Cognitive Fusion, and Values.Basic Clin Neurosci.2023 Jul-Aug;14(4):479-490. doi:10.32598/bcn.2021.2785.1Mitsui N, Fujii Y, Asakura S, Imai H, Yamada H, Yoshinaga N, Kanai Y, Inoue T, Shimizu E.Antidepressants for social anxiety disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Neuropsychopharmacol Rep. 2022 Dec;42(4):398-409. doi:10.1002/npr2.12275Szeleszczuk Ł, Frączkowski D.Propranolol versus Other Selected Drugs in the Treatment of Various Types of Anxiety or Stress, with Particular Reference to Stage Fright and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.Int J Mol Sci.2022 Sep 3;23(17):10099. doi:10.3390/ijms231710099Davidson JR.Use of benzodiazepines in social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder.J Clin Psychiatry. 2004;65 Suppl 5:29-33.Barkowski S, Schwartze D, Strauss B, Burlingame GM, Barth J, Rosendahl J.Efficacy of group psychotherapy for social anxiety disorder: A meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials.J Anxiety Disord. 2016 Apr;39:44-64. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.02.005

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Chowdhury N, Khandoker AH.The gold-standard treatment for social anxiety disorder: A roadmap for the future.Front Psychol. 2023 Jan 18;13:1070975. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1070975Priyamvada R, Kumari S, Prakash J, Chaudhury S.Cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of social phobia.Ind Psychiatry J. 2009 Jan;18(1):60-3. doi:10.4103/0972-6748.57863Soltani E, Bahrainian SA, Farhoudian A, Masjedi Arani A, Gachkar L.Effectiveness of Acceptance Commitment Therapy in Social Anxiety Disorder: Application of a Longitudinal Method to Evaluate the Mediating Role of Acceptance, Cognitive Fusion, and Values.Basic Clin Neurosci.2023 Jul-Aug;14(4):479-490. doi:10.32598/bcn.2021.2785.1Mitsui N, Fujii Y, Asakura S, Imai H, Yamada H, Yoshinaga N, Kanai Y, Inoue T, Shimizu E.Antidepressants for social anxiety disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Neuropsychopharmacol Rep. 2022 Dec;42(4):398-409. doi:10.1002/npr2.12275Szeleszczuk Ł, Frączkowski D.Propranolol versus Other Selected Drugs in the Treatment of Various Types of Anxiety or Stress, with Particular Reference to Stage Fright and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.Int J Mol Sci.2022 Sep 3;23(17):10099. doi:10.3390/ijms231710099Davidson JR.Use of benzodiazepines in social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder.J Clin Psychiatry. 2004;65 Suppl 5:29-33.Barkowski S, Schwartze D, Strauss B, Burlingame GM, Barth J, Rosendahl J.Efficacy of group psychotherapy for social anxiety disorder: A meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials.J Anxiety Disord. 2016 Apr;39:44-64. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.02.005

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Chowdhury N, Khandoker AH.The gold-standard treatment for social anxiety disorder: A roadmap for the future.Front Psychol. 2023 Jan 18;13:1070975. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1070975Priyamvada R, Kumari S, Prakash J, Chaudhury S.Cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of social phobia.Ind Psychiatry J. 2009 Jan;18(1):60-3. doi:10.4103/0972-6748.57863Soltani E, Bahrainian SA, Farhoudian A, Masjedi Arani A, Gachkar L.Effectiveness of Acceptance Commitment Therapy in Social Anxiety Disorder: Application of a Longitudinal Method to Evaluate the Mediating Role of Acceptance, Cognitive Fusion, and Values.Basic Clin Neurosci.2023 Jul-Aug;14(4):479-490. doi:10.32598/bcn.2021.2785.1Mitsui N, Fujii Y, Asakura S, Imai H, Yamada H, Yoshinaga N, Kanai Y, Inoue T, Shimizu E.Antidepressants for social anxiety disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Neuropsychopharmacol Rep. 2022 Dec;42(4):398-409. doi:10.1002/npr2.12275Szeleszczuk Ł, Frączkowski D.Propranolol versus Other Selected Drugs in the Treatment of Various Types of Anxiety or Stress, with Particular Reference to Stage Fright and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.Int J Mol Sci.2022 Sep 3;23(17):10099. doi:10.3390/ijms231710099Davidson JR.Use of benzodiazepines in social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder.J Clin Psychiatry. 2004;65 Suppl 5:29-33.Barkowski S, Schwartze D, Strauss B, Burlingame GM, Barth J, Rosendahl J.Efficacy of group psychotherapy for social anxiety disorder: A meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials.J Anxiety Disord. 2016 Apr;39:44-64. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.02.005

Chowdhury N, Khandoker AH.The gold-standard treatment for social anxiety disorder: A roadmap for the future.Front Psychol. 2023 Jan 18;13:1070975. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1070975

Priyamvada R, Kumari S, Prakash J, Chaudhury S.Cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of social phobia.Ind Psychiatry J. 2009 Jan;18(1):60-3. doi:10.4103/0972-6748.57863

Soltani E, Bahrainian SA, Farhoudian A, Masjedi Arani A, Gachkar L.Effectiveness of Acceptance Commitment Therapy in Social Anxiety Disorder: Application of a Longitudinal Method to Evaluate the Mediating Role of Acceptance, Cognitive Fusion, and Values.Basic Clin Neurosci.2023 Jul-Aug;14(4):479-490. doi:10.32598/bcn.2021.2785.1

Mitsui N, Fujii Y, Asakura S, Imai H, Yamada H, Yoshinaga N, Kanai Y, Inoue T, Shimizu E.Antidepressants for social anxiety disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Neuropsychopharmacol Rep. 2022 Dec;42(4):398-409. doi:10.1002/npr2.12275

Szeleszczuk Ł, Frączkowski D.Propranolol versus Other Selected Drugs in the Treatment of Various Types of Anxiety or Stress, with Particular Reference to Stage Fright and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.Int J Mol Sci.2022 Sep 3;23(17):10099. doi:10.3390/ijms231710099

Davidson JR.Use of benzodiazepines in social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder.J Clin Psychiatry. 2004;65 Suppl 5:29-33.

Barkowski S, Schwartze D, Strauss B, Burlingame GM, Barth J, Rosendahl J.Efficacy of group psychotherapy for social anxiety disorder: A meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials.J Anxiety Disord. 2016 Apr;39:44-64. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.02.005

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