Where is the line drawn between being socially anxious and having Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)?
Feeling some anxiety before an important business meeting or before a first date is pretty much normal. However, we would say that a person has Social Anxiety Disorder if he or she experiences so much social anxiety in everyday life that it causes significant distress or disability. People who experience distress may worry a great deal in anticipation of a difficult social encounter – often for days or weeks before hand. The anxiety they experience may involve strong symptoms, such as excessive perspiration, shaky feelings, difficulty concentrating, having to urinate frequently, or feeling very tense or restless before and during the social contact. There may also be difficulty concentrating and thinking clearly. Some people worry a great deal that their mind will go blank. Generally these people have a lot of distress and worry about having the anxiety problems. In treatment, it is not unusual to see people who would love to have good friendships but have no friends or very few friend
