What are Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms

Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms are many and varied. Sufferers may experience some or many of them. It is also fair to say that experiencing these symptoms does not constitute a diagnosis of Social Anxiety Disorder. An understanding of Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms will help a person put what they are going through into some context and allow them to decide if what they are experiencing is typical for a sufferer of Social Anxiety Disorder or not.

Ultimately, diagnosis of Social Anxiety Disorder must be made by a doctor or mental health professional.

So what are the Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms?

There are three different domains in which symptoms can be experienced. These are:

Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms Pie

The Physical Domain

Although Social Anxiety Disorder affects different aspects of thinking and behaviour, sometimes the most obvious symptoms and the ones sufferers are most aware of are the physical symptoms brought on by anxiety.

The physical social anxiety disorder symptoms can vary widely from person to person. Below is a list of common symptoms associated with social anxiety disorder:

  • Blushing
  • Disorientation
  • Dry mouth
  • Involuntary twitching
  • Muscle tension
  • Rapid beating of the heart
  • Shortness of breath
  • Sweating
  • Trembling or shaking
  • Trembling voice
  • Twitching
  • Unsteadiness
  • Upset stomach

This list is not exhaustive, but it is also not a suggestion that you must have all these symptoms to indicate you have Social Anxiety Disorder. They are a list of common symptoms of which a sufferer may only experience a few.

Take our self test for Social Anxiety Disorder.

Combining our self test for Social Anxiety Disorder along with the above list of Social Anxiety Disorder symptoms, you will get a good idea whether you may or may not have Social Anxiety Disorder. this is not a definitive diagnosis but merely an indication. If you have concerns you should consult your doctor or mental health professional for a proper diagnosis.

The Cognitive Domain

Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms in the Cognitive Domain are the mind games experienced by a sufferer during a social situation with the potential to trigger the on set of anxiety.

The person will feel significant fear over how they are perceived by others. They will be extremely self-conscious, demanding very high, if not unrealistic, standards from themselves, examining and being overly critical of everything they do.

Their thoughts tend to be negative about themselves and how they performed in a given situation. This slowly but surely eats away at their self-esteem.

Examples could be:

  • Thoughts of inadequacy for being unable to answer a question about their own work.
  • Fear of contributing to a conversation in case the others mock or ridicule them.
  • High and unrealistic self expectation while delivering a presentation causes increased fear, which in turn causes mistakes which in turn causes self condemnation.
  • Self conscious thoughts cause a simple trip to the supermarket to turn into a nightmare and a return to home empty handed.

The mind plays a huge part in Social Anxiety Disorder and is extremely powerful, especially when your self chatter gets the better of you, over flowing with negative, critical thoughts about yourself and the situation you are in.

The Behavioural Domain

Those who suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder tend to make decisions based on their fear of and desire to avoid something rather than on what they really want or desire.

Over time as the condition worsens, habitual avoidance behaviour sets in. This can result in the avoidance of situations which include any social aspect, from speaking on the telephone to public speaking in a large gathering. It will vary from person to person depending on their current level of Social Anxiety Disorder, however it is likely to get worse over time if left untreated.

With help, the tendency to avoid situations can be addressed. This may take the form of accompanying a friend to a party, or even just to a public gathering of people.

Other situations that Social Anxiety Disorder sufferers may avoid are:

  • Acting, performing, or speaking in front of an audience
  • Phoning a company for some information
  • Eating in public places
  • Arriving slightly late for a meeting when others are ready to start
  • Expressing disagreement or disapproval to someone you don’t know very well
  • Keeping eye contact with strangers
  • Meeting people you don’t know
  • Returning goods to a store for a refund
  • Speaking up at a meeting
  • Talking to your boss
  • Dating

Although anxiety will be present to some degree in these situations, it is possible to train yourself to cope in such situations and ultimately avoid avoidance itself.

Have a look at our reviews of leading courses which will make all the difference in helping you overcome these Social Anxiety Disorder symptoms.