Social Anxiety Disorder in Children

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Children and teenagers withsocial anxiety disorder(SAD) may live with symptoms into adulthood without ever beingdiagnosed. Although SAD is the third most common mental health disorder, many parents and teachers are not familiar with the signs and symptoms in children and teenagers.

Social anxiety disorder involves an intense fear or phobia of social and performance situations. Although most teenagers go through periods of normal anxiety related to the changes that go along with adolescence, those with SAD experience fear that is out of proportion to the situations that they face.

For some teenagers, social anxiety becomes chronic, affecting school performance, extracurricular activities, and the ability to make friends.

Children and teenagers can be diagnosed with a more generalized form of social anxiety disorder or with the performance-only specifier (only performance situations cause anxiety).

General vs. Performance-Only SAD

As a parent or loved one, know that not all of these behaviors necessarily reflect SAD, but if you consistently recognize them and have cause for concern, consider seeking further evaluation with a psychotherapist.

Pre-School Children

School-Aged Children

In addition, children with SAD are more likely than adults to experience physical symptoms like headaches, stomach aches, and nausea.

Teens

Temperament

Look for a teenager who…

School Behavior

Behavior With Peers

Teenagers with social anxiety disorder are at a disadvantage in all areas of life. They may perform poorly at school and may have trouble attending classes. Students with the disorder are also less likely to make friends and participate in extracurricular activities.

Those with severe SAD may drop out of school or refuse to leave home.

In addition, untreated social anxiety disorder in adolescence may lead to increased risk of other mental health problems later in life such asdepression,eating disorders,substance abuse, and evensuicidal ideation.

What Causes Social Anxiety Disorder?

Diagnosis of social anxiety disorder in children and teenagers involves an evaluation of symptoms in several contexts. This evaluation will often include the perspective of parents and teachers and may involve the use of school records.

Children and teens with SAD can go undetected if parents and teachers interpret the student’s behavior as shyness. However, SAD awareness is critical, and early detection and intervention are needed to prevent long-term impairment.

Potential underlying medical conditions are explored and other explanations for the behavior such as bullying are also considered. If the student is at risk ofself-harmor suicide, these issues are addressed immediately.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

The same diagnostic criteria used to diagnose adults also apply to children and teenagers. However, there are some additional caveats. Children and teenagers may not recognize that their fear is unreasonable and their anxiety must be present when interacting with their peers, not just adults.

How SAD Is Diagnosed

Treatment of SAD in children and teenagers is aimed at helping to alleviate anxiety and allow the student to cope with school and day-to-day functioning. Effective treatments may include the following:

As a parent, read about the disorder and increase your awareness of what your teen is experiencing. Be in touch with your school to coordinate efforts with teachers, school counselors, and other personnel. Together, you can work toward improving the situation for a child or teen with SAD.

The 7 Best Online Therapy Programs for Kids

As a parent of a socially anxious child, it can be hard to know how best to offer your support. It’s important to manage your child’s social anxiety in a constructive way.

Give your child or teen chances to expose him or herself to feared situations. Don’t speak for your child or teen and offer praise when a feared situation is faced.

Choose realistic goals for your child or teen such as joining a club or making a new friend. Then, outline steps that can be taken to achieve this goal. Also, encourage activities that help your child or teen to relax such as arts and crafts, music, yoga, and writing.

Be a good listener and let your child or teen know that what he or she is experiencing can be overcome. Remind your child or teen of past successes and build his or her confidence.

Finally, seek help for your child or teen if anxiety becomes severe. Some problems are too big for you to handle on your own and require intervention such as medication or professional therapy.

How to Parent Teens With Social Anxiety

A Word From Verywell

If you have a child or teen who you believe is living with social anxiety, it is important to make an appointment fora diagnosisand potentialtreatment. The longer this disorder goes undiagnosed, the more impairment your child will experience. By the same token, if you are a teen living with social anxiety, reach out to a parent, teacher, or guidance counselor about the symptoms you are experiencing so that you can receive help.

6 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.Schneier FR.Social anxiety disorder. BMJ. 2003;327(7414):515-6. doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7414.515Hitchcock CA, Chavira DA, Stein MB.Recent findings in social phobia among children and adolescents. Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci. 2009;46(1):34-44.Jefferson JW.Social Anxiety Disorder: More Than Just a Little Shyness. Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2001;3(1):4-9.Child Mind Institute.Social Anxiety Disorder Basics.Masia-warner C, Klein RG, Dent HC, et al.School-based intervention for adolescents with social anxiety disorder: results of a controlled study. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2005;33(6):707-22. doi:10.1007/s10802-005-7649-zAnxiety and Depression Association of America.Tips for Parents and Caregivers.Additional ReadingKodish I, Rockhill C, Varley C.Pharmacotherapy for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents.Dialog Clin Neurosci. 2011;13(4):439-52.Ryan JL, Warner CM.Treating adolescents with social anxiety disorder in schools.Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2012;21(1):105-18, ix. doi:10.1016/j.chc.2011.08.011

6 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.Schneier FR.Social anxiety disorder. BMJ. 2003;327(7414):515-6. doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7414.515Hitchcock CA, Chavira DA, Stein MB.Recent findings in social phobia among children and adolescents. Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci. 2009;46(1):34-44.Jefferson JW.Social Anxiety Disorder: More Than Just a Little Shyness. Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2001;3(1):4-9.Child Mind Institute.Social Anxiety Disorder Basics.Masia-warner C, Klein RG, Dent HC, et al.School-based intervention for adolescents with social anxiety disorder: results of a controlled study. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2005;33(6):707-22. doi:10.1007/s10802-005-7649-zAnxiety and Depression Association of America.Tips for Parents and Caregivers.Additional ReadingKodish I, Rockhill C, Varley C.Pharmacotherapy for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents.Dialog Clin Neurosci. 2011;13(4):439-52.Ryan JL, Warner CM.Treating adolescents with social anxiety disorder in schools.Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2012;21(1):105-18, ix. doi:10.1016/j.chc.2011.08.011

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.

Schneier FR.Social anxiety disorder. BMJ. 2003;327(7414):515-6. doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7414.515Hitchcock CA, Chavira DA, Stein MB.Recent findings in social phobia among children and adolescents. Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci. 2009;46(1):34-44.Jefferson JW.Social Anxiety Disorder: More Than Just a Little Shyness. Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2001;3(1):4-9.Child Mind Institute.Social Anxiety Disorder Basics.Masia-warner C, Klein RG, Dent HC, et al.School-based intervention for adolescents with social anxiety disorder: results of a controlled study. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2005;33(6):707-22. doi:10.1007/s10802-005-7649-zAnxiety and Depression Association of America.Tips for Parents and Caregivers.

Schneier FR.Social anxiety disorder. BMJ. 2003;327(7414):515-6. doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7414.515

Hitchcock CA, Chavira DA, Stein MB.Recent findings in social phobia among children and adolescents. Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci. 2009;46(1):34-44.

Jefferson JW.Social Anxiety Disorder: More Than Just a Little Shyness. Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2001;3(1):4-9.

Child Mind Institute.Social Anxiety Disorder Basics.

Masia-warner C, Klein RG, Dent HC, et al.School-based intervention for adolescents with social anxiety disorder: results of a controlled study. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2005;33(6):707-22. doi:10.1007/s10802-005-7649-z

Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Tips for Parents and Caregivers.

Kodish I, Rockhill C, Varley C.Pharmacotherapy for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents.Dialog Clin Neurosci. 2011;13(4):439-52.Ryan JL, Warner CM.Treating adolescents with social anxiety disorder in schools.Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2012;21(1):105-18, ix. doi:10.1016/j.chc.2011.08.011

Kodish I, Rockhill C, Varley C.Pharmacotherapy for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents.Dialog Clin Neurosci. 2011;13(4):439-52.

Ryan JL, Warner CM.Treating adolescents with social anxiety disorder in schools.Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2012;21(1):105-18, ix. doi:10.1016/j.chc.2011.08.011

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