there is intense shame in knowing that the fear is irrational and not being able to stop it. i think that’s a massive component of why people don’t seek treatment. it’s a self-imposed perception of personal responsibility. i have literally had psychologists tell me things like "there’s nothing to worry about” and “[on the triggering situation] it’s not a big deal,” and then look at me like i just hadn't realised that and now, since they'd let me know, their job was done. some people literally think that you JUST DON’T KNOW that you’re not going to be eaten by a shark. that's really humiliating. thanks so much for this video.

I had a kid in school that had this and would faint either when he was about to speak in front of the class or after he finished speaking in front of the class. What he was going through was not understood by many of the classmates but it was good to see that we were still sympathetic and patient with him. Which for middle schoolers I think is an accomplishment.

One thing that always irritates me with my severe social anxiety is how many times people link it to mean that I have low self esteem. I have high self esteem. I know what I am capable of. What I struggle with is irrationality of my thoughts and perceptions of social situations even when I know there is no reason for them. People dont talk enough about this with social anxiety.

Social anxiety is pervasive and crippling to those impacted. It is often misdiagnosed or simply disregarded. It is important to provide those impacted with skills and strategies to engage meaningfully in life experiences.

@NightHoundd11

4 жыл бұрын

Agree. Most of the time people think that a guy who is not speaking to them or react weird is just arrogant.

You are amazing. :) you are so correct when u say that social anxiety can be triggered with certain people . That's exactly how I am. I am a waitress and this is very difficult for me at times . If I feel uncomfortable with certain customers and if I panic waiting on them , I won't ever wait on them again . I have my co worker wait on them for me. I do all I can to stay away from them... weird !😏.Big events or parties... forget it... I get invited to work gatherings all the time, but I just make excuses why I can't . You've been very helpful .. thank you😌

@DrGrande

6 жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

@jabsluna

6 жыл бұрын

As the parent of an 18 yr old who has this, do you have any advice? Is there anything the people who care and love you could have done, should have done, or could currently do to help you? Struggling mom here :(

@novadirector

6 жыл бұрын

Leila don't blame yourself. I'm shy. Perhaps CBT for social anxiety would help either with a therapist or a book from a library. A doctor can recommend the right thing too.

You’ve explained almost exactly what I have experienced for years. I’ve had a sense that it could be social anxiety for a while, but your description is the closest I’ve heard. I’m floored. I wonder if having issues with friendships and intimacy is part of this; it’s odd because I can be pretty talkative and get along well with strangers for moments at a time, but if it goes on too long, or the idea of meeting up again or going on a date arises, it’s like a light switches off, and I feel sick. I can’t maintain contact with people either, despite my desire to do so. In my experience, I’m always afraid of humiliation, even though I know that there’s no real threat. Little things like the way I get out of my car in a parking lot, carrying a full cup of coffee at a cafe to a table, my posture while standing in a line, the way that I carry a shopping basket through a store…it all induces anxiety, which is embarrassing, and I return home feeling frustrated and ashamed. The physiological symptoms like shaking, stuttering and sweating make it worse. At least I now have a better sense of what my issue could be. Thank you so very much for this!

As someone who once suffered horribly from SAD, I can attest it is an exhausting and very fearful place to exist in. At one point I was having 3-5 severe panic attacks a day-so severe that my heart rate hit 220 beats per minute in one episode that compelled me to go to the ER. That period of severe anxiety lasted about 18 months and was downright debilitating at times. Agoraphobia, crashing” every day when I got home from work, constant fearfulness, etc. I’ve since recovered from most of that anxiety about 8 years ago. If you know someone experiencing one of these anxiety disorders, please be sympathetic to their plight as they are truly suffering.

You are so easy to lîsten to, calm and. Informative. Love your videos.

@DrGrande

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

Thank you so much, it's so difficult to get people without the condition to understand. Plus, I'm tired of misrepresentation of social anxiety in the media. I hope everyone who wants to truly understand social anxiety watches this video.

I found it very interesting to hear that the genetic component had a stronger influence than the environmental component in Social Anxiety Disorder. I would have assumed that one develops SAD as the result of failed social interactions and the fear that arises from them, but it seems that genetics has much more of an influence. This was a very informative video!

@angelinastanton7996

5 жыл бұрын

It was interesting to learn that the genetic component seems to be stronger, but I wonder how things like trauma and being bullied for years can contribute to the disorder. I would like to see more research for cases like these.

@laurenbray8314

5 жыл бұрын

Bullying definitely can kick SAD into motion especially if you're already a shy kid . Thats what started mine when I was a kid. Ever since I've suffered from SAD.

Alot more people suffer with SAD than people give credit. I often run into people on a daily basis who its obvious they are under stress. A person's body language tells alot about them.

@shizzle1903

5 жыл бұрын

Joe Dirt 🙋🏻‍♂️ I do

Thank you for discrieb the negative feedback loop of having a thing that must be done. Then feeling anxious before and during. In the end you feel often out of energy and dysphoric and next time there is a strong presser on avoidance. Story of my life.

I have social anxiety disorder diagnosed but i have a really bad problem as well with getting nervous even talking to close friends of mine i think it is a mix of fear of judgement but also that i might come across as awkward, too blunt or forward, too open, annoying or as an over sharer. Is this common with people as well with social anxiety because it is something i constantly struggle with. I also think because ive had fake friends before who i didnt know at the time were that way as well as people ive had genuinely close friendships turn on me i think im also hesitant and extremely nervous to really allow people to get close to me because i fear that i will become some kind of joke or they might spread my personal information whether we remained friends and me unwittingly knowing or in general we just no longer remain friends or grow apart. Part of it is a worry that people will judge and negatively evaluate me because ive had stuff like this happen prior. All this being said i am very friendly and care a lot about people friends or not of mine and i do want to forge genuine friendships that last but i just worry that there will always be a part of me that worries when will the other shoe drop. I constantly play the conversations in my head trying to see where i might have offended or upset or bothered them because i really care. Its hard feeling constantly unable to relax around people for fear of messing things up or just being the odd man out but i dont really know what to do. Any advice or additional info would help. Thanks

Having been diagnosed with SAD when I saw this video I jumped on it. Your delivery seemed so kind and subdued I was calmed and felt understood. I believe that it came from the way I was raised. Thanks so much Doc.I don't feel quite as freakish. Maybe it was just the different background that is in your newer presentations. All I felt was kindness and understanding- I was mesmerised. You've given the best explanation I've heard on this disorder.❤

I believe that many people have SAD and have not been diagnosed.

I'm so intrigued with Social Anxiety Disorder, especially after watching this video. I learned so much information, and even challenged my prior false perception of this disorder due to misinformation. Years ago, I was diagnosed and treated for general anxiety disorder/panic attacks. I now realize that it was social anxiety disorder. I definitely also experience panic before, during, and after a performance. I also can freak out just sitting in a classroom or when raising my hand. I remember in high school that the teachers had to arrange for me to sit in the back of the classroom one year. It sucks to deal with, and it is exhausting. This video was awesome and I want to continue researching on this disorder, and also research different ways to treat the disorder besides taking medication or using exposure therapy.

@Veruska75

4 жыл бұрын

Angelina Stanton What medication are you taking? I identify alot with all of this. You know that horrible feeling in a class, or a group, where everyone sits and talks when it’s their ”turn”(clockwise usually) to talk? It’s so horrible!! It’s totally illogical, but still it happens!

People with SAD are the most lovable. They don’t know how to put on the ego-driven fake “affect” that is common amongst normal people. They scuffle (mentally) and cringe, trying to relate to others, yearning to connect. I call them dorks. My sister is one. I’m one too but not as much. We are lovable dorks and we love other dorks like us. We recognize them immediately.

I appreciate that this overview clarifies the misconceptions associated with social anxiety disorder. It interesting to note how negative evaluations are tied to this disorder but not panic disorder or agoraphobia. It seems that most people do not understand that awareness of an irrational fear does not combat the fear and anxiety. The fact that shyness is not necessarily a factor is new to me. The cyclical nature of the disorder explains what might be viewed as progress followed by relapse.

I’m social, and outgoing when I need to be. I have a job in sales and management. Yet, I spend most of my life worrying about future social events and ruminating on social events past. It’s crippling. I’m never happy, I hate myself and berate myself and I can never turn this voice off. No matter how successful I am, or what I do, that voice, the critic, is always there. Never lets me free. So occasionally I binge on alcohol because it’s the only time the voice isn’t there. Starting therapy as I am getting to the point where I don’t care if I live or die, because at least the self hate would be gone. I can totally function, nobody really knows. When I’m alone I’ll literally call myself names. I hear of people who can’t leave the house. I feel for them, but what I have is invisible. I really hope the therapy works. Even if I cut everyone out and lived on an island the rumination would still be there. I was always attracted to narcissists because it must be amazing having a voice which tells you that you’re special and deserving of success. It’s a horrible thing. I didn’t even know I had SA until I spoke to my therapist the first time and that’s how she described it, then I read about it and I realised that this pain has a name. I kind of wrote off SA as teenagers being shy.

Brilliant, absolutely fantastic. Very helpful. You have excellent videos on disorders. Please continue to add subject labels, or notes on the screen. It makes it easier to take notes/follow along as you have done with certain other videos. Thanks.

Many people have noted here that they think it is more "common" than perceived. It seems "normal" as part of the human condition to be nervous/anxious when put in the spotlight, but as with all diagnosis, it is when these episodes or fears interfere with functioning or are experienced by the client as a problem.

I enjoyed the break-down of this video with the associated concepts dealing with social anxiety. The video was very easy to follow and understand.

I learned that anxiety is linked to who people are. I never thought about it that way before. This makes sense when I think about the examples of a job interview. Of course going to a job interview will being on anxiety, but more anxiety surfaces when there is more than one person interviewing one person. If people who do not have this diagnosis are naturally nervous or anxious, I can’t imagine how someone with this diagnosis may feel during an interview where the ratio is 3:1, for example.

@laurenbray8314

5 жыл бұрын

I literally lost all my potential jobs when looking for work after I graduated because my anxiety was so disruptive at interviews. Like I'd be visibly distressed and black out not being able to answer questions. It was such a bad experience that my social anxiety was made it even worse! I was in the top of my class and had a great resume/recommendations but my anxiety literally ruined my career. I wanted the jobs so bad that I ended up hyping myself up before the interviews. Its honestly really sad. Now I've had to go back to my trade of cooking and start a business of my own instead where I can be my own boss.

I find that writing my anxiety thoughts helps me reason.

This video was very informative. Definitely made me take a second look at myself as I always feel extremely nervous when I have to present and after hearing about performance social anxiety, the symptoms match mine perfectly.

May sister was diagnosed with this about 20 years ago. Medicine changed everything. It's real.

This video is excellent to explain social anxiety disorder. I think that people may not understand that this is a condition to be concerned about and reach out for help. The fear of public speaking can be common however, social situations and the threats that someone may perceive may not be look at but instead avoided. I didn't really consider how substance use disorder may be included in this social anxiety.

I remember when I was young and was playing a news reporter in a church play. I was supposed to wait in a box and pop up at a specific time. I was good at the part, confident, and only a little nervous. I had no idea about the feeling of extreme anxiety and fear that was going to hit me when it was my turn. I’ve never been able to be the center of attention without experiencing it since that day. It is just a completely debilitating and irrational biological/psychological response that has held me back in so many ways.

Fascinating the shyness is not inherently correlated with SAD

Having a time-frame associated being diagnosed (6 months) with SAD is something I was completely unaware of and also that there is a genetic link with SAD is interesting. I have known people that have SAD and it came be extremely debilitating and frustrating for those close to them.

It’s so freaking odd, for a business meeting, I can present and guide the flow of topics with ease. But when it comes to casually engaging I lose my words 😅 weird since when I was a kid, I was a total charmer to almost everyone I engaged with.

Thank you for the informative video, Dr. Grande. I'm wondering if there's something like retroactive social anxiety? For example being nervous or sometimes slightly anxious around friends or new people - but after leaving a conversation or situation the anxiety kicks in retroactively. I'm also able to observe that I tend to try to change my behavior to prevent myself from spiraling after interactions but I'm quite certain that my retroactive perception of myself is negatively biased in some ways. Your comment about being aware of the irrational thoughts was quite relatable for me in that regard as well as the overall description of the disorder, however, with the exception that my severe symptoms are almost always retroactive. I tried to find some videos or literature about that particular behavior and anxiety but I'm always referred back to social anxiety disorder. Thanks in advance!

This video was very informative. I was very surprised that the criteria for Social anxiety disorder is very complex, and that most individuals actually realize that their fears are irrational.

@suzgen7323

5 жыл бұрын

Veronica - I was also surprised that this is commonly a genetic disorder.

Omg. I am so glad I watched this video. I feel like I have GAD but it's not diagnosed, but I also have symptoms of agoraphobia and even more of SAD. I'm so grateful for you expressing how the anxiety can cycle in and out, and how certain types of public speaking can be more challenging than others. I don't know if you still look at comments for these, but what should you do if you're schizoaffective bipolar type like me and you think you have an anxiety disorder? Is receiving a formal diagnosis useful, or should I just try to use coping skills and talk to my therapist? Thanks!

I’m a little surprised you haven’t said anything about medication. What has been your experience of it with patients? Thank you.

Thank you.

Very helpful video

Thank you

If shyness is not simply a euphemism for social anxiety as I've always thought, then what is it?

Can a social anxiety person turn into a psychopath if the person has psychopathic tendencies and characteristics from childhood and teenage years.

Thanks for this video! Could you talk about erythrophobia? I have excessive blushing which makes me feel very anxious in social situations even when I'm alone still blushing for something that happened on that day

Kind of feel anxious while listening to these symptoms, i was diagnosed with it a couple years ago

Man this is me :(

I thought it was interesting that social anxiety disorder last longer than 6 months. Does that mean that a person that has fear of a social situation happens everyday for 6 months or certain times within a 6 month period.

But help! I'm ONLY comfortable performing, I absolutely hate being in normal social situations, or even on a bus or a crowded store. :(

I can see this disorder being over-diagnosed. I wonder what degree of the anxiety is present in order to diagnose or how to measure for social anxiety disorder.

@tyonnabrooks748

5 жыл бұрын

I agree, because being anxious is natural, but of course to an extent it can be abnormal. I also wonder if this diagnoses can be removed once the person deals with their anxiety.

@Veruska75

4 жыл бұрын

Tyonna Brooks And how would one ”deal” with the anxiety?

you offer therapy session?

Im wondering if i just hate humans and has social anxiety and bad hearing

So if it hasn't lasted for me than six months it is not social anxiety disorder?

@TravisBickle0312

5 жыл бұрын

It might be but it wouldn't necessarily be diagnosed until it's lasted that long.

But, social anxiety disorder is NOT one of the 10 personality disorders? What category does it fall in? Are there other disorders in its category? Does it have a category of its own?

@mmacoun

4 жыл бұрын

It's an anxiety disorder. And there is indeed plenty of disorders that fall in this category, e.g. OCD, PTSD.