Social Anxiety Disorder
Persistent fear or anxiety about social or performance situations involving possible scrutiny or negative evaluation.
Core concept
Persistent fear or anxiety about social or performance situations involving possible scrutiny or negative evaluation.
Plain explanation
The central fear concerns being judged, embarrassed, rejected, or negatively evaluated in social situations.
Recognition pattern
Notice fear of scrutiny, avoidance or endurance with intense distress, persistence, and functional impact.
Development & course
Often begins in childhood or adolescence, although onset can occur later.
Functional impact
Can restrict education, employment, friendships, public participation, and help-seeking.
Associated features
Blushing, trembling, sweating, difficulty speaking, avoidance, and anticipatory anxiety may occur.
Differential reasoning
Distinguish from shyness, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and GAD by the specific social-evaluative focus.
Culture & context
Norms for eye contact, public speaking, deference, and social interaction vary across cultures; context is essential.
Common misconceptions
Introversion or shyness is not automatically a disorder.
Clinical vignette
A student avoids presentations and group discussions because of intense fear of being judged as incompetent.
Reconsider
Reconsider the formulation if the duration, impairment, developmental pattern, substance/medical context, or competing diagnosis does not fit the core pattern.
Learn
Learn the social-evaluative focus.
Notice
Ask what the person fears will happen in the social situation.
Distinguish
The feared negative evaluation distinguishes social anxiety from broader worry.
APA (2022). DSM-5-TR, Anxiety Disorders.