Society anxiety disorder is a condition that afflicts many people, and can be undetected or misdiagnosed simply because people with social anxiety disorder do not want to draw attention to themselves.
It takes a trained eye to see if a person is merely exhibiting nervousness, or it is a more serious condition. We all experience “butterflies in our stomach” right before critical moments in our lives, but this does not mean we have social anxiety disorder. This condition goes beyond nervousness.
To determine if a person has social anxiety disorder, you have to check for physical signs as well as the internal feelings. The physical symptoms of social anxiety disorder are sweating, upset stomach, nausea, confusion, inability to concentrate, a pounding heart, blushing, racing pulse, muscle tension, shaking, and even diarrhea.
Trying to diagnose social anxiety disorder is not as simple as seeing these symptoms in a person. There has to be a pattern of behavior before you can safely assume (not conclude) that a person may be suffering from social anxiety disorder.
In addition, it does not happen moments before the confrontation, but can manifest itself hours or even days before the person is required to do something social like a speech, a party, or a presentation.
Less obvious symptoms of social anxiety disorder is when a person constantly finds a reason to avoid being around people he is not comfortable with, or a tendency to hide in a corner when unable to escape the inevitable social gathering. For instance, a student will slouch in his seat in an effort not to be seen by the teacher, or fake a fever to avoid going to school if he is scared of having to talk in class.
A young teenager may have social anxiety disorder, and he will manifest it by clinging to his parent, having a tantrum, or crying incessantly until the threat is removed.
Since social anxiety disorder is connected to problems with interacting with other people or performing before an audience, it is possible for a person to avoid being in these kinds of situations.
In the same manner, a person with social anxiety disorder can go through life without receiving any kind of treatment. Generally, it is not a life threatening condition unless severe depression together with other psychological problems start to set in.
In the United States alone, social anxiety disorder is considered the third most prevalent mental disorders which usually starts at the pre-teen age but it can also start at any age. Statistically, there are more women than men afflicted with this condition. It will also explain why some people tend to be underachievers when their IQ indicates otherwise.
If you notice symptoms of social anxiety disorder in a family member or friend, or they complain of uneasy feelings of anxiousness about being around people, you could always suggest to them that seeing a physician will determine whether it is actually social anxiety disorder or not. This way treatment can start and these feelings of insecurity and inadequacies will be controlled.