Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is more than just shyness or occasional nervousness—it’s a mental health condition that can affect nearly every aspect of a person’s life. While many people associate social anxiety with discomfort in social situations, the reality is far more complex. Individuals with SAD may fear being the center of attention, worry about judgment, or avoid crowded settings altogether. Over time, if left untreated, these symptoms can extend beyond social interactions, affecting home life, work, and even one’s sense of self. Importantly, anxiety disorders do not simply disappear on their own. Effective treatment typically involves a combination of research-based psychotherapy and holistic approaches that address the whole person.
At Aliya Mental Health, we offer comprehensive programs to address social anxiety disorder and any co-occurring conditions. Our goal is to help guests reclaim their confidence and quality of life.
What Is Social Anxiety Disorder?
Also known as social phobia, social anxiety disorder is part of the broader class of anxiety disorders, which includes generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, separation anxiety, and specific phobias like agoraphobia. People with SAD experience intense fear in social situations, worrying they will be judged, embarrassed, or rejected. They may feel “different” or “wrong” compared to others.
Unlike normal nervousness or occasional shyness, social anxiety disorder is chronic. It doesn’t simply fade over time, and individuals must learn strategies to manage symptoms long-term. Even with treatment, there will be good days and challenging ones, which is why developing coping skills is essential.
How Does Social Anxiety Affect Daily Life?
Anxiety disorders go far beyond ordinary stress or nervousness. They can trigger persistent worry, dread, and intense rumination, sometimes multiple times a day. Those with SAD may feel a constant pressure to “fix” situations through worry or action, which can lead to repetitive behaviors similar to those seen in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
In fact, social anxiety disorder is a common occurrence amongst individuals, especially in the United States. An estimated 12.1 percent of American adults have social anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders disrupt everyday life with layers of stress, fear, dread, and anxiety.
What Causes Social Anxiety Disorder?
Mental health is complex, and disorders are not easily placed into boxes. When it comes to the question of a cause of social anxiety disorder, there’s also no simple answer. Truthfully, the development of social anxiety is on a case-by-case basis, where it depends on the person. However, there are certain risk factors that increase your likelihood of developing this condition. They include a combination of biological factors and environmental factors. In short, both your genetic makeup and your life experiences shape your mental health.
Genetic Factors
Genetic factors are inherent and unique to you. One major genetic factor that contributes to whether you develop an anxiety disorder like SAD is your genes. Notably, there is no gene for any one mental illness. However, genetics convey certain vulnerabilities, predispositions, and family traits. For example, if your parents have social anxiety disorder, you are more likely to also have it, as some parts of your genetic composition are passed down to you. Having a first-degree relative with SAD increases your chances by 2-6 times of inheriting it.
Similarly, it’s worth noting that certain personality types may be more inclined to feel socially anxious, like those who are quieter, more shy, and more reserved.
Environmental Factors
Similarly, external environmental factors contribute to the development of social anxiety disorder. All of these shape your internal narrative about the world. Certain experiences can make you believe the world is more hostile, thus increasing your desire to retreat. Those who experience traumatic situations, especially as children, are vulnerable to developing SAD. On a similar note, people who experience public shame, bullying, or scenarios that teach them to fear being out in the world can develop SAD.
Further, there is a clear uprise in anxiety in youths, having experienced both COVID-19 and the intensity of social media in their childhood/adolescence. Being raised in a time of immense fear is also a risk factor for SAD and other anxiety disorders.
Signs and Symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder
People with SAD experience daily symptoms that disrupt their lives and make them fearful of public interactions. While two people with the condition may have very different experiences, social anxiety disorder symptoms do tend to be common across the board. However, you may not experience all symptoms or some less severely than others. This is one reason why the disorder appears uniquely in all people, making diagnoses challenging sometimes.
Signs and symptoms of social anxiety can be physical, emotional, and behavioral in nature. Notably, all of these symptoms can be unpacked, managed, and overcome through comprehensive anxiety disorder treatment. At Aliya Mental Health, we help our guests regain control over the symptoms that are controlling them.
Any of these physical symptoms can occur on a daily basis from social anxiety disorder:
- Sweating
- Shaking
- Blushing or redness
- Fast heartrate
- Trouble breathing
- Lightheadedness
- Nausea
- Body chills
- Panic attacks
Any of these emotional symptoms can occur on a daily basis from social anxiety disorder:
- Low self-esteem
- Feeling watched
- Feeling judged
- Feeling “wrong” or embarrassing
- Believing you don’t know how to follow the social cues others do
- Fear of speaking
- Expecting the worst outcomes
Any of these behavioral symptoms can occur on a daily basis from social anxiety disorder:
- Avoiding eye contact
- Stumbling over words or stuttering
- Speaking quietly
- Physically retreating into your body
- Avoidant behaviors
- Rigid body language
- Over-analyzing your behaviors later
- Having emotional outbursts
- Struggling to develop relationships
How Is Social Anxiety Disorder Diagnosed?
If you have a mental illness like social anxiety disorder, how can you know? Truly, mental health is complex and people can have symptoms that overlap with many different conditions. Thus, people often wish there could be a comprehensive quiz for understanding if they have any mental health disorder. But taking internet quizzes and self-diagnosing your pain can create confusion. Even worse, individuals often start to base their identity around a false idea of their mental health.
While you can conduct research and watch for symptoms, there is no conclusive social anxiety disorder test you can take. Instead, the only way to know is to get diagnosed by a licensed mental health professional like a psychiatrist, psychologist, or clinical counselor. Notably, they will utilize the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) to definitively provide a diagnosis.
DSM-5 Criteria
The DSM-5 is the leading tool used by mental health professionals to understand, diagnose, and treat disorders. This includes mental health disorders, substance use disorders (SUD), neurological conditions, brain functioning, and co-occurring conditions. How do professionals diagnose with the DSM-5? They consider the symptoms of each disorder and whether the individual qualifies for the minimum number to be diagnosed. These vary by mental health condition. For example, the DSM-5 standard for social anxiety disorder includes ten criteria points that the individual should exhibit for a proper diagnosis.
Because it can be tricky to distinguish between disorders with similar characteristics, you must be diagnosed by a knowledgeable licensed professional who is eligible to provide diagnoses. They will be able to interpret the DSM-5 according to your unique situation.
Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder
The sad truth is many people don’t seek treatment for SAD because they identify with social anxiety as part of their “identity structure.” Thus, they go through life believing they are deficient in major ways regarding socialization and relationships. In reality, social anxiety disorder can be treated and improved as long as you take the first step to accept help.
Professional treatment for social anxiety disorder can include both medication and psychotherapy. However, medication assistance is optional for those who prefer to avoid it.
Medication
Medication can significantly improve your quality of life when you struggle with an anxiety disorder like SAD. In our Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) program track, we help our guests find the right prescriptions for their diagnoses. Just as everyone’s symptoms can vary, so can the way medication takes effect. Some social anxiety disorder medications are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Both of these have positive improvements on SAD in studies and are FDA-approved. Additionally, benzodiazepines and propranolol (a beta-blocker) are often prescribed due to their positive implications.
In MAT, we help our guests with short-term and long-term medication management.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy refers to research-based therapies for mental health, behavioral concerns, substance abuse disorders, and more. There are hundreds of psychotherapies in existence, with different focuses, methods, and techniques. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which focuses on the root thoughts, feelings, and actions behind anxiety, has shown great improvements in SAD. This is especially the case when CBT and medication are combined in a comprehensive social anxiety disorder program.
To learn more about the social anxiety disorder therapies we offer at Aliya Mental Health, reach out to us today.
Tips for Coping with Social Anxiety
If you struggle with social anxiety, it’s important to realize it doesn’t reflect on your identity. In treatment you’ll learn to separate the way you view yourself from your disorder, as it’s an external factor limiting you. The best way to properly learn to cope with social anxiety is to engage in professional psychotherapy to learn coping mechanisms and trigger management. With a trusted counselor by your side, you’ll develop the courage and motivation to practice what you learn, such as facing your fears in bite-size portions.
Additionally, remember that everyone feels out of place, uncomfortable, and worried about saying/doing the wrong thing sometimes. While it may seem like everyone else is comfortable in social settings, you don’t know the internal life of others. The more you can shift your focus from yourself and what you’re doing to what others are thinking, feeling, or saying, the more improvements you’ll make. This is another step we’d love to help you with in therapy for anxiety.
Professional Help for Social Anxiety
The only person who knows how you feel is you. You’re also the only one who can decide to make changes in your life. Fear, anxiousness, avoidance, and dread don’t have to rule your life. Instead, you can regain power to steer your life the way you want with social anxiety disorder treatment.
We are always available to get you connected to a personalized care plan at Aliya Mental Health. Just think—starting today will get you that much closer to meeting your goals. Please contact us to learn more about how we can help you overcome social anxiety disorder.