Social Anxiety: An Overview

Misconceptions about social anxiety disorder, otherwise known as social phobia, are no new phenomenon. Some people often confuse being introverted, or being shy, with living with social anxiety and vice versa. People who refrain from social gatherings or appear reserved are often believed to be living with anxiety. Perhaps they’re simply not a people’s person, or just feel the need to perfect their social skills so that they don’t act awkwardly in a social situation.

In reality, being shy or introverted is one thing, living with social anxiety disorder is another. Social anxiety, according to the DSM-5, is a mental health condition that triggers intense and perpetual fear and anxiousness during social situations. Oftentimes the social situation is seen as a bigger threat than it actually is.

Interestingly, experiencing social phobia is quite common! It’s estimated that between 5% to 10% of the world’s population is living with social anxiety, and it’s considered the third most frequent disorder in the world, after depression and substance disorder!

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Loneliness: Social Anxiety

Social anxiety can manifest itself in three levels: mild, moderate, and intense:

• A moderate level of social anxiety may have the person deliberately refrain from certain social engagements.

An individual living with mild social anxiety may tolerate social gatherings, yet experience physical symptoms, such as sweating, shaking, or psychological symptoms like feeling highly self-conscious.

• An individual with an intense level of social anxiety will generally avoid attending any social engagements whatsoever. Apart from experiencing physical and psychological symptoms of social anxiety, they might experience panic attacks as well.

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The symptoms of social phobia vary from one person to the other; while one person might experience them all, the other might experience just a few of them. Some of the physical symptoms include blushing, shaking, panting, muscle tension, nausea, rapid heartbeat, and vertigo. The psychological and behavioral symptoms on the other hand, span from a heightened anxiety of social situations, and overwhelming self-consciousness, to scrutinizing every action and anticipating the worst-case scenario out of every social situation.

But how is social anxiety related to loneliness? Let’s find out!

Loneliness: Social Anxiety