People with Social Anxiety Disorder experience intense fear, anxiety, or avoidance in social situations for 6 months or more.
Here are some common symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder:
- Experience fear or anxiety in social situations (e.g., having conversation, meeting people, etc.)
- Fear to be evaluated negatively by others; fear offending others or rejected by others
- Social situations always provoke fear or anxiety (children may express their fear through crying, freezing, clinging, failing to speak in social situations.)
- People tend to avoid social situations or endured social situations with intense fear or anxiety (e.g., not going to parties, refusing to go to school)
Reference: American Psychiatric Association, 2013