Social Anxiety

According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, social anxiety disorder (SAD) is defined [Page 2025]as a marked or persistent fear of one or more social situations. Symptoms of social anxiety include fear and avoidance of nonfamilial adults, peers, and situations from which negative evaluation might occur. Social anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders which, in both disordered and heightened symptomatic forms, has enduring and pervasive psychological and interpersonal consequences throughout the life span. This entry reviews the nature of SAD and heightened symptoms, beginning with the onset, course, and core features. Next, this entry details factors that contribute to heightened symptom and disorder development. The entry concludes with a discussion of the outcomes of social ...