Social Anxiety Disorder

Another way to define Social Anxiety Disorder is Social Phobia. We have already encountered the word "phobia" and have a rough understanding of the concept. A phobia is a disproportionate fear learned in the natural environment around us. However, today, humans also live in an elaborate and complex social environment.

While "natural" phobias can be linked to the fear of losing one's life (e.g., phobia of snakes, phobia of heights), social phobias are connected with the fear of rejection. This is the fear that, after some of our behaviors, we will be evaluated negatively and consequently lose our place in society, such as a job, a circle of friends, a gaming table, or a family hug.

A quote I would like to share is: "At that point, I remembered... everything I had encountered so far. All the pain... my daily life filled with pain. Pain in my heart and body. But it's not the pain that I'm afraid of. Not the pain. What I'm afraid of... what really scares me is having no place to go. I'm afraid of losing my place in this world."

Thus, the social environment is also a place where we can become sensitized (i.e., learn) due to extremely negative experiences related to social interactions (such as conversing, meeting strangers, etc.) or being observed (while eating or drinking) or performing in front of others (such as taking an exam, giving a speech).

The criteria specified by the diagnostic manual (DSM-5) for Social Anxiety Disorder are:

• Experiencing fear or anxiety in one or more social situations.
• Concern about showing anxiety and being judged negatively for it.
• Little or no variability in experiencing fear or anxiety in the feared situations.
• Tendency to avoid or endure social situations with intense fear.
• The fear and anxiety are disproportionate to the situation.
• The duration of anxious behaviors is at least 6 months.
• There is no other way to explain the symptoms.

Sources:

• American Psychiatric Association (2013) - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.).
• Bernhill, J. W. (2014) - DSM-5 Clinical Cases.
• Mori, K. (2001). Holyland. Hakusensha.

I also recommend watching this video.

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