What is Social Anxiety Disorder?

The criteria for Social Anxiety Disorder, as paraphrased by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR, 2022) includes:

A. Fear or anxiety about one or more social situations in which the individual is exposed to possible scrutiny by others. Examples include social interactions (e.g., having a conversation, meeting unfamiliar people), being observed (e.g., eating or drinking (e.g., eating or drinking), and performing in front of others (e.g., giving a speech).
NOTE: In children, the anxiety must occur in peer setting and not just during interactions with adults.

B. The individual fears that he or she will act in a way or show anxiety symptoms that will be negatively evaluated (ie., will be humiliating or embarrassing, will bead to rejection or offend others).

C. The social situations almost always provoke fear or anxiety.
NOTE: In children, the fear or anxiety may manifest as crying, tantrums, freezing, clinging, shrinking, or failing to speak in social situations.

D. The social situations are avoided or endured with intense fear or anxiety.

E. The anxiety is out of proportion to the actual threat posed by the social situation and to the sociocultural context.

F. The anxiety lasts for 6 months or more.

G. The anxiety causes significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

H. The anxiety is not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance or another medical condition.

I. The anxiety is not better explained by the symptoms of another mental disorder.