Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)

Gettinghelp

If you think you may have social anxiety disorder, you should try to see your GP for help.

Your GP shouldmake it as easy as possible for you to have a consultation with them. For example, they may offer youan assessment over the phone if it's easier, or they may give you an appointment when the surgery is less busyfor example, before or after normal hours.

If your anxiety is severe,or you'd like your child to be assessed, your GP may be able to visit youat home.

Diagnosing social anxiety disorder

Your GP may ask yousome questions froma diagnostic questionnaire, such as the Social Phobia Inventory, Social Phobia Scale orSocial Interaction Anxiety Scale. These give a score that indicates your level of anxiety in social situations (there are similar scales designed for use on children).

The type of questions your GP might ask you are:

do you/does your childtend to avoid social places or activities?
do you/does your childget scared about doing things with other people, like talking, eating and going to parties?
do you/does your child find it difficult to do things when others are watching?

Your GP will want to rule out other possible causes of your fear, such as generalised anxiety disorder or agoraphobia (a fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult, or wherehelp wouldn't be available if things go wrong).

They'll alsowant to explore whether you have any other problems that would need to be treated separately, such as depression or an alcohol or drug problem.

Read about treating depression, drug misuse and treating alcohol misuse.