What is Social Anxiety Disorder (or Social Phobia)?What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?What is Panic Disorder?What is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?
What is Social Anxiety Disorder (or Social Phobia)? Having some anxiety in certain social situations, particularly during novel or important events is a normal part of life. For example, it is not uncommon for people to feel nervous during an exam (e.g. a final, GRE, LSAT), attending a wedding, going on a job interview or on a first date. In fact, a modest level of anxiety may be optimal for performance. People with social anxiety disorder (also known as social phobia) experience more than the normal range of anxiety in social situations. Anxiety can be limited to just one type of situation (e.g. performance anxiety) or experienced in many different social settings. People with social anxiety disorder are concerned about what others think of them in social or performance situations. The common situations include: • Causal conversations • Public speaking • Meeting new people • Dating • Being in center of attention • Attending social gatherings • Speaking up in class or in work meetings
