Anxiety Disorders Center:  Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder)

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Most people experience some feelings of nervousness when they are meeting new people, giving speeches, or being evaluated. However, for people with Social Phobia (also called Social Anxiety Disorder), these feelings can become so intense that they cannot function effectively.

People with Social Phobia are excessively afraid of being scrutinized, evaluated, or rejected by other people. They often worry that others will see how nervous they are and will think badly of them as a result. Because of their extreme fears, people with Social Phobia often avoid social encounters. Some people fear and avoid only certain situations, such as giving speeches. Other people fear and avoid most or all social situations. These people are described as having Generalized Social Phobia.

Some commonly feared social situations are:

• Speaking in public
• Being the center of attention
• Meeting new people
• Attending parties
• Talking with authority figures
• Eating or writing in public
• Using public bathrooms

Do you have Social Phobia?	Print this questionnaire
Are you afraid of one or more social or performance situations in which you are exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others?	YES	NO
In social or performance situations, are you afraid that you will act in a way (or show anxiety symptoms) that will be humiliating or embarrassing?	YES	NO
Do you almost always feel anxious in these social or performance situations?	YES	NO
Is your social fear excessive or unreasonable?	YES	NO
Do you go out of your way to avoid feared social or performance situations?	YES	NO
If you cannot avoid a social or performance situation, do you feel intense anxiety or distress?	YES	NO
Do your social fears or avoidance interfere significantly with your normal routine, occupational (academic) functioning, or social activities or relationships?	YES	NO
Do you feel very distressed about having this fear?	YES	NO