Teens and Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is a common problem for teens and young adults. It actually affect millions of people. Many of those people are teens and young adults who have just begun to transition from being home with their families to interacting with peers in school and work environments where they're often required to speak in front of others. And while shyness is a normal personality trait, social anxiety disorder -- when excessive, irrational and persistent -- is something else entirely: It can interfere with everyday activities like attending school or holding down jobs at age 18 or 20 years old. While it's not ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) or ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), these conditions can affect kids' ability perform well in social situations."
Social Anxiety Disorder affects about 15 million American adults, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Social anxiety disorder is a common mental health issue that affects about 15 million Americans. It's the third most common mental health disorder in the U.S., according to the National Institute of Mental Health, and more common in young people than older ones.
The good news: Social anxiety can be treated with therapy and sometimes medication. These treatments can help you reduce your fear of being judged by others so that you feel more comfortable talking to them face-to-face—or even just around other people!
Many of those people are teens and young adults.
Many of those people are teens and young adults. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 1 in 3 teens have social anxiety disorder (SAD), a condition that makes it difficult to be around other people.
That’s considerably more than the general population: just over 20 percent experienced SAD at some point in their lives—and many only did so once they reached adulthood. More than half of these individuals experienced it during adolescence, while slightly less than half had symptoms as adults.
We can all relate to feeling anxious in social situations -- whether we're about to ask for a raise, or just asking for the salt.
Social anxiety disorder is a common mental health condition that affects about 15 million Americans, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. This can cause extreme discomfort in social situations, including:
Being asked on dates
Talking to strangers at parties or meetings
Speaking up in public (like during a presentation)
If you're struggling with social anxiety, there are several things you should know:
1. You're not alone: Social anxiety is very common and often can be treated. It's estimated that about 13% of people will have social phobia at some point in their lives, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
2. It's more than just shyness: Social anxiety isn't the same as being shy or introverted. People with social anxiety disorder are very uncomfortable in social situations and worry about embarrassing themselves, making others upset or being rejected by others.
But for some people, that anxiety can rise to the level of a mental health issue.
You may be surprised to learn that social anxiety disorder affects 15 million Americans, and the estimated lifetime prevalence is 2.2%. According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), social anxiety disorder is a mental health issue. It's not just shyness or embarrassment; it can affect your relationships with others and cause you distress in situations where you have to perform in front of other people.
The symptoms of social anxiety disorder include fear of being judged by others; feeling uncomfortable around other people due to worry about what they think about you; having trouble speaking up during an activity like a party or meeting with friends; experiencing physical symptoms such as nausea when attending large gatherings or public spaces where there are many people present at once
Children who experience these types of difficulties often feel like they're under a spotlight at all times—and this can lead them into depression as well because they believe their struggles are something only normal children deal with
While shyness is a normal personality trait, social anxiety disorder is excessive, irrational and persistent. Kids with the disorder may feel like they're under a spotlight at all times -- even when they're alone at home.
While shyness is a normal personality trait, social anxiety disorder is excessive, irrational and persistent. Kids with the disorder may feel like they're under a spotlight at all times -- even when they're alone at home.
Social anxiety can also affect your child's school work and relationships with peers. Many find it difficult to engage socially because of their fears of being embarrassed or judged by others in public settings such as cafeterias, auditoriums or games rooms.
Children with social phobia often exhibit other symptoms as well:
They worry about being judged based on looks or style;
They fear that someone will think poorly of them or embarrass them if they make an error;
They worry that others might dislike them if they laugh too loudly in public places (such as malls);
The three main types of social anxiety disorder are an intense fear of being watched and judged by others, an intense fear of social interactions themselves, and a fear of participating in public speaking or other group events.
The three main types of social anxiety disorder are an intense fear of being watched and judged by others, an intense fear of social interactions themselves, and a fear of participating in public speaking or other group events.
The first type is called public speaking anxiety (PSA). PSA is when you have an overwhelming feeling that you will be judged by your audience if you speak up in class or at work. You may feel like everyone will laugh at the awkward things that come out of your mouth, so instead of saying anything at all it becomes easier just to remain silent—even if everyone knows what they're doing!
The second type is generalized social anxiety disorder (GSAD), which causes feelings like embarrassment or humiliation when meeting new people—or even seeing them from across the room! This can lead to avoidance behaviors such as staying home alone because no one wants anything to do with me there either...
The third type is called specific social phobia, which is basically a fear of just one thing. For example, if you have a fear of eating in front of other people because they might judge you and think that it's weird that you prefer to eat alone in the dark, then that would be considered specific social phobia.
And because the condition often starts in adolescence -- when teems make the transition from being with family and friends at home to interacting with peers and strangers in school -- doctors say it's important to recognize the problem early on.
Before you can help your teen, it's important to understand that social anxiety is a serious condition and should not be dismissed as merely a phase. It's also important to know that there are many people out there who are willing to help.
"Social anxiety is like a disease," says Dr. David Strayer, director of the Social Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina. "It's not something that just goes away on its own; if you have it for long enough, it will affect your life in some way."
"It's very important that parents are aware that this is a common thing," says Dr. Donald Edmondson, an assistant professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. "This problem goes away after high school."
If your teen is experiencing social anxiety, it's time to start taking action. "It's hard to know exactly when a problem will become obvious," says Dr. Donald Edmondson, an assistant professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. "But if something has been going on for more than two weeks and you don't see any improvement in their mood or behavior then it's probably not normal teenage angst."
Social anxiety disorder can be treated with medication or talk therapy and should be taken seriously by parents who notice that their child is becoming increasingly withdrawn from friends or family members. The sooner you get help for your child's social anxiety problems the better they'll do as adults.
If you have a child or teen who seems to be struggling with social anxiety, don't wait for them to come to you. It's better to take action before things get worse. Talk with your child about their feelings and help them develop strategies that will help them feel more confident in social situations. You may even look into finding a therapist that works with teens and anxiety. This can provide an opportunity for your teen to discuss these issues with a professional, normalize their experience, and provide tools to help them overcome social anxiety. The earlier you intervene, the better chance they'll have at a successful future -- one where they can finally enjoy being around others without worrying so much about what others think of them!
