Pages Introduction What is Social Anxiety? Symptoms Example Scenarios Frequently Asked Questions Other Sites on Social Anxiety

	Recommended Book This book was the first I bought and I found it very worthwhile reading. If you have not read any books on the subject, this book is an ideal starting point. Please note that I do not make any money on recommendations.

	Free Leaflet This leaflet is from the UK NHS and gives some very good explanations as to the thought process of someone suffering from social anxiety. The leaflet also contains an introduction of the beginning processes a person suffering from social anxiety can use to start to overcome social anxiety.

	Introduction Did you know that over 7% of the population suffers from social anxiety disorder (social phobia) right this very minute? Social Anxiety is the third largest mental health care problem in the world today. Unlike some other psychological problems, social anxiety is not well understood by the general public or by medical and mental health care professionals, such as doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, social workers, and counselors. Because few socially-anxious people have heard of their own problem, and have never seen it discussed on any media, such as the television talk shows, they think they are the only ones in the whole world who have these terrible symptoms. Therefore, they must keep quiet about them. It would be awful if everyone realized how much anxiety they experienced in daily life. Then what would people think about them? Unfortunately, without some kind of education, knowledge, and appropriate treatment, social phobia/social anxiety continues to wreak havoc throughout their lives. Adding to the dilemma, when a person with social anxiety finally gets up the nerve to seek help, the chances that they can find it are very, very slim. Making the situation more difficult is that social anxiety does not come and go like some other physical and psychological problems. If you have social anxiety one day......you have it every day for the rest of your life..... One thing that all socially anxious people share is the knowledge that their thoughts and fears are basically irrational. That is, people with social anxiety know that others are really not critically judging or evaluating them all the time. They understand that people are not trying to embarrass or humiliate them. They realize that their thoughts and feelings are somewhat exaggerated and irrational. Yet, despite this rational knowledge, they still continue to feel differently. It is these automatic "feelings" and thoughts that occur around social situations that must be met and conquered in therapy. Usually these anxious feelings are tied to thoughts that are entwined in a vicious cycle of negative expectations and negative appraisals. It is a catch-22 situation: there is no way out without the appropriate therapy.

	Example Imagine you arrive at a friend's house for a meal and find the room full of people you do not know. There is a pause in the conversation as you walk in and you think: "Everyone is looking at me." This makes you nervous, so you leap at the offer of a drink but feel hot and conspicous when someone asks you your name. You think: "They must all have noticed how nervous I am", as you avoid catching anyone's eye and look around for somewhere to put your drink down in case it spills. You wonder if you will ever be able to think of anything to say and start to feel uncomfortably hot. The louder people talk the more you think "I really don't belong here", and "Nothing I could think of to say would interest these people". This makes it harder for you to join in the conversation, so you keep quiet and retreat into your shell, aware of how inept you must seem in other people's eyes. You look out for a way of leaving early, hoping that you can slip away without drawing too much attention to yourself. The next day you can't stop thinking about how you must have appeared to the other people there. Images come to mind that bring back all the embarrassment and nervousness that you felt at the time. You decide you will never do that again. Other thoughts also go through your mind, about how hard it is to make friends, and how inadequate you feel compared to other people. You wonder if you can ever change, as you have always been shy. Other shy people seem to have managed to grow out of it, so you also ask yourself whether there is something wrong with you. The longer this train of thoughts goes on the more dispirited and sadder you feel.

	Quick Diagnosis During the past 6 months:- Do you worry a lot about embarrassing yourself in front of others? Do you worry about what people might think of you? Do you feel anxious in social situations? Do you worry about behaving anxiously in any of the following situations:- Public speaking Eating/drinking in front of other people Writing in front of other people Parties and other social gatherings Do you avoid any of the above situations because they make you feel anxious?