​Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder, or social phobia, is when a person is scared of going into public places for fear of being embarrassed or fear of people in general. People who suffer from this (including me) tend to stay away from public places, it can get so severe that they become literally housebound.


What causes social anxiety?

Social anxiety can be caused by different things and depends on the person and situation. Perhaps you were embarrassed in public or maybe you had a bad experience while at a social gathering. Sometimes claustrophobia and a general fear of people and the outside world can be a cause of social anxiety.


What are the symptoms of social anxiety?

• Not wanting to leave the house
• Feeling fearful when you have to go out
• Not wanting to leave your house without someone being with you
• Fearful of embarrassing yourself in public
• Fearful of being mocked or bullied in public
• Claustrophobia
• Feeling of wanting to run and hide in social situations

How to handle social anxiety

There are a few ways that you can handle social anxiety that are right at you fingertips.

​Try some of these:

• Wear sunglasses out in public. This hides your face from others creating a more secure feeling
• Wear earphones and listen to calming music. This separates you from the noises of the outside world
• Go out early morning or late evening if you can when places and shopping centres are quieter
• Conquer social situations in small bits. Start very small by leaving your house and going up your street and then turning back. 

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Getting diagnosed with social anxiety disorder

Social anxiety displays a lot of symptoms that are similar to that of GAD when a person is in a social situation, so there are numerous ways to treat it, and it's not difficult to recognise.

​Usually people self diagnose, but again if you want a medical and formal diagnosis, visit a therapist.