Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)

Social anxiety disorder is characterized by marked and persistent fear of social or performance situations in which embarrassment could arise (e.g., public speaking), and is considered a debilitating disorder that negatively impacts many areas of the affected individual's life. This entry reviews the extant empirical literature on social anxiety disorder, beginning with a brief overview of the disorder's clinical features and diagnostic criteria. The entry describes the differential diagnoses that are often implicated in misdiagnosis of social anxiety symptomatology, followed by an overview of empirically supported assessment instruments. The next section covers the epidemiological data on the prevalence of the disorder. Coverage of the developmental considerations and clinical course of the disorder are included, following by a discussion of the evidence-based status of treatment approaches for social anxiety disorder.