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People withsocial anxiety disorder(SAD) experience significant and chronic fear of social or performance-related situations where they might be embarrassed, rejected, or scrutinized. In these situations, people with SAD almost always experience physical anxiety symptoms.
Although they know their fear is unreasonable, they can’t seem to do anything to stop it, so they either avoid these situations altogether or get through them while feeling intense anxiety and distress. In this way, social anxiety disorder extends beyondeveryday shynessand can be extremely impairing.
This article explains the common symptoms of social anxiety disorder. It also describes potential complications and how symptoms may present differently in children.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
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Signs & Symptoms
Symptoms of social anxiety disorder typically fall within three different areas. While everyone’s experience is different, symptoms of the condition typically result in physical, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms.
Physical Symptoms
The physical symptoms of SAD can be extremely distressing.Common physical symptoms include:
Cognitive Symptoms
Below are some common symptoms that you may experience:
For example, imagine you start a new job or arrive on the first day of a new class. The instructor or manager asks everyone to introduce themselves to the group.
If you have social anxiety disorder, you may start to have negative thoughts such as, “Everyone else looks so much more relaxed,” “What if I say something dumb?” or “What if everyone notices my voice shaking?”
These thoughts start to rapidly spiral out of control to the point that you don’t hear anything anyone else has said. When it comes to your turn, you say as little as possible and hope that no one has noticed your anxiety.
Negative thought patterns can also erode yourself-esteemover time, so it’s important to seek treatment.
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Behavioral Symptoms
Social anxiety disorder can also cause you to act in certain ways. In many cases, you might find yourself making choices based on fear andavoidancerather than your actual preferences, desires, or ambitions. For example, you may drop a class to avoid doing a presentation or turn down a job promotion because it meant increased social and performance demands.
Below are some common behavioral symptoms:
What Are Avoidance Behaviors?
Complications & Comorbidities
Social anxiety disorder can lead to serious complications in your life. It can result in panic attacks, which can be frightening and contribute to increased feelings of fear and avoidance.
Avoidance of social situations can make it difficult tomaintain interpersonal relationships. This can affect your ability to work, attend school, and participate in other social events. It can contribute to feelings of isolation andloneliness, which can have a detrimental impact on your health and well-being.
In severe cases, if left untreated, social anxiety disorder can increase your risk of having a poor quality of life. You might have few or no friends and no romantic relationships. It may even lead you to drop out of school or quit jobs, anduse alcohol to tolerate anxiety.
Symptoms in Kids
Social anxiety disorder in children and teens may appear differently than in adults.Young children with the disorder may cling to a parent, have a tantrum when forced into a social situation, refuse to play with other kids, cry, or complain of an upset stomach or other physical problem.
Behavioral inhibitionduring childhood is often a precursor for later social anxiety.Later during adolescence, teens with SAD may avoid group gatherings altogether or show little interest in having friends.
How to Recognize SAD in Kids
Symptoms in Women and Girls
Research has shown that social anxiety tends to affect women more frequently than men. As such, experts recommend that clinicians should screen girls and women aged 13 and older for anxiety disorders.Because anxiety disorders can grow worse over time, early intervention can result in better outcomes and improved well-being.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When should I see a doctor about my social anxiety?
If you experience symptoms of anxiety in social situations, you may wonder whether your symptoms are severe enough for you to be diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (SAD). It can be difficult to know whether what you are experiencing is an illness that can be diagnosed.
As a rule of thumb, if the symptoms you are experiencing are significantly affecting aspects of your daily life—such as relationships, work, or school—in a negative way or you find yourself avoiding situations because of anxiety, a trip to the doctor may be in order.
Can treatment help relieve symptoms of social anxiety disorder?
A psychiatrist or other mental health professional can help with treatment. The good news is that symptoms of SAD respond well totreatment. The physical, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms of SAD can respond well to psychotherapy such ascognitive behavioral therapy(CBT),exposure therapy, and medication.
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How do you know if you have social anxiety disorder?
While only atrained mental health professionalcan provide a diagnosis, learning more about the disorder’s symptoms can help you better recognize whether what you are feeling is typical of social anxiety disorder. When faced with a social situation, do you almost always experience physical symptoms of anxiety, including muscle tension, dry mouth, rapid heartbeat, and shortness of breath?
Cognitive symptoms, including negative beliefs and thoughts, are also common. As a result, you may also engage in avoidance, escape, or safety behaviors to cope with feelings of fear.
If you do find that your symptoms match a diagnosis of SAD, it is important to know that help is available. Getting help may feel difficult at first, but it will very much be a step in the right direction and worth it.
If you or a loved one are struggling with social anxiety disorder, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
If you or a loved one are struggling with social anxiety disorder, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
Understanding the Causes of Social Anxiety Disorder
8 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.National Institute of Mental Health.Social anxiety disorder: More than just shyness.Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Social anxiety disorder.Wong QJ, Moulds ML, Rapee RM.Validation of the self-beliefs related to social anxiety scale: A replication and extension.Assessment. 2014;21(3):300-311. doi:10.1177/1073191113485120Leigh E, Clark DM.Understanding social anxiety disorder in adolescents and improving treatment outcomes: Applying the cognitive model of Clark and Wells (1995).Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2018;21(3):388-414. doi:10.1007/s10567-018-0258-5Rose GM, Tadi P.Social anxiety disorder. In:StatPearls[Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.Anxiety Disorders Association of America.Anxiety disorders in children.Luis-Joaquin GL, Lourdes EF, José A MM.Behavioral inhibition in childhood as a risk factor for development of social anxiety disorder: a longitudinal study.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(11):3941. doi:10.3390/ijerph17113941Gregory KD, Chelmow D, Nelson HD, et al.Screening for anxiety in adolescent and adult women: A recommendation from the Women’s Preventive Services Initiative.Ann Intern Med. 2020. doi:10.7326/M20-0580
8 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.National Institute of Mental Health.Social anxiety disorder: More than just shyness.Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Social anxiety disorder.Wong QJ, Moulds ML, Rapee RM.Validation of the self-beliefs related to social anxiety scale: A replication and extension.Assessment. 2014;21(3):300-311. doi:10.1177/1073191113485120Leigh E, Clark DM.Understanding social anxiety disorder in adolescents and improving treatment outcomes: Applying the cognitive model of Clark and Wells (1995).Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2018;21(3):388-414. doi:10.1007/s10567-018-0258-5Rose GM, Tadi P.Social anxiety disorder. In:StatPearls[Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.Anxiety Disorders Association of America.Anxiety disorders in children.Luis-Joaquin GL, Lourdes EF, José A MM.Behavioral inhibition in childhood as a risk factor for development of social anxiety disorder: a longitudinal study.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(11):3941. doi:10.3390/ijerph17113941Gregory KD, Chelmow D, Nelson HD, et al.Screening for anxiety in adolescent and adult women: A recommendation from the Women’s Preventive Services Initiative.Ann Intern Med. 2020. doi:10.7326/M20-0580
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.
National Institute of Mental Health.Social anxiety disorder: More than just shyness.Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Social anxiety disorder.Wong QJ, Moulds ML, Rapee RM.Validation of the self-beliefs related to social anxiety scale: A replication and extension.Assessment. 2014;21(3):300-311. doi:10.1177/1073191113485120Leigh E, Clark DM.Understanding social anxiety disorder in adolescents and improving treatment outcomes: Applying the cognitive model of Clark and Wells (1995).Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2018;21(3):388-414. doi:10.1007/s10567-018-0258-5Rose GM, Tadi P.Social anxiety disorder. In:StatPearls[Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.Anxiety Disorders Association of America.Anxiety disorders in children.Luis-Joaquin GL, Lourdes EF, José A MM.Behavioral inhibition in childhood as a risk factor for development of social anxiety disorder: a longitudinal study.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(11):3941. doi:10.3390/ijerph17113941Gregory KD, Chelmow D, Nelson HD, et al.Screening for anxiety in adolescent and adult women: A recommendation from the Women’s Preventive Services Initiative.Ann Intern Med. 2020. doi:10.7326/M20-0580
National Institute of Mental Health.Social anxiety disorder: More than just shyness.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Social anxiety disorder.
Wong QJ, Moulds ML, Rapee RM.Validation of the self-beliefs related to social anxiety scale: A replication and extension.Assessment. 2014;21(3):300-311. doi:10.1177/1073191113485120
Leigh E, Clark DM.Understanding social anxiety disorder in adolescents and improving treatment outcomes: Applying the cognitive model of Clark and Wells (1995).Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2018;21(3):388-414. doi:10.1007/s10567-018-0258-5
Rose GM, Tadi P.Social anxiety disorder. In:StatPearls[Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.
Anxiety Disorders Association of America.Anxiety disorders in children.
Luis-Joaquin GL, Lourdes EF, José A MM.Behavioral inhibition in childhood as a risk factor for development of social anxiety disorder: a longitudinal study.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(11):3941. doi:10.3390/ijerph17113941
Gregory KD, Chelmow D, Nelson HD, et al.Screening for anxiety in adolescent and adult women: A recommendation from the Women’s Preventive Services Initiative.Ann Intern Med. 2020. doi:10.7326/M20-0580
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