Mental Health News

There are many ways to control and live well with anxiety and depression disorders.  However, there is quite a lot that people aren’t aware of when it comes to social anxiety disorders.

Here are a few things to remain aware of when it comes to these social anxiety disorders from About.com.

1. SAD is more common than you think.

Over a lifetime, approximately 10% of people will experience the symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). It is the third most common psychiatric disorder after depression and alcohol abuse. Until recent years, however, it hasn’t received significant attention from the medical community and so has been under diagnosed.

2. The symptoms may vary depending on cultural influences.

In some Asian cultures (e.g., Japan, Korea), people with SAD may fear offending others rather than being embarrassed. For example, they may fear that their extreme anxiety or direct eye contact may offend someone.

3. It is more common in women than in men.

Despite the fact that equal numbers of men and women seek treatment for SAD, in the general population it is more common in women.

4. If you have SAD, you probably have another disorder too.

SAD quite often pairs with other disorders, most often depression, other anxiety disorders or substance abuse.

5. SAD is a Phobia.

You may not think of social anxiety as a phobia in the same way that people are afraid of heights or snakes, but this is how it is classified. For those with Social Phobia, as SAD is also known, the fear is of being in social situations.

Social Anxiety Disorders like SAD are just as limiting and problematic as any other text book problem.  To learn the other five things to be aware of, you’ll need to head over to About.com.