Social Anxiety Disorder

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Introduction1.1 Epidemiology of social anxiety disorder (SAD) SAD, also known as social phobia, is characterised by excessive fear of embarrassment or humiliation in social situations, which in turn leads to marked distress or avoidance of these situations and functional impairment as described in DSM-IV-TR.It is a common disorder with early onset, significant comorbidity and functional impairment (Meron Ruscia et al., 2008).SAD has been ranked as one of the top ten chronic disorders -mental or physical -in terms of its effects on objective outcomes, such as days of work lost and reduced health-related quality of life (Alonso, 2004).According to the National Comorbidity Survey, SAD is the most reported anxiety disorder and has a lifetime prevalence of 12% (Kessler et al., 2005), with considerable coexisting psychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and substance-related disorders.Lifetime prevalence of social anxiety disorder among Turkish university students was 23% (Dilbaz 2006).Co-occurring SAD and depression carry a substantial risk of suicide, which further complicates treatment (Beesdo et al., 2007;Thase, 2007).SAD symptoms normally emerge during early adolescence and continue throughout adulthood; they affect women more often than men (Fehm et al., 2005).In clinical samples the ratio of male and female changes in the favour of males.(Dilbaz and Güz 2002).Trials suggest that social anxiety even below the diagnostic threshold is clearly associated with adverse outcomes like elevated risk for comorbid disorders and associated with impairment in diverse areas of life.Despite the growing understanding of this condition, information is lacking on key aspects of the disorder and many individuals, including doctors, psychiatrists and patients, unaware about this condition. Children and adolescentsSAD, which so often begins in childhood, precedes other comorbid disorders and may be a direct or indirect risk factor for other disorders, such as depression and substance abuse.Epidemiologic findings show that in the pediatric primary healthcare setting anxiety disorders are very common ranging from 1% to 10% (Briggs-Gowan et al.,

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Dılbaz, N., Enez, A., & Yalcn, S. (2011). Social Anxiety Disorder. https://doi.org/10.5772/19367