Social anxiety disorder is a condition in which the patient or sufferer experiences great trepidation from being around other people. Social anxiety disorder or SAD is a fear that originates from what is around you. Those suffering from SAD fear negative criticism and evaluation by others at social gatherings, parties or other interactions. This is a widely prevalent condition in America, and has been studied in the recent years but not as much as other anxiety disorders like panic, obsessive compulsive, post-traumatic stress, phobias and generalized anxiety disorders.

SAD people fear humiliation or embarrassment, show decrease in adaptive functioning and also clinical distress. The very thought of a social situation triggers an intense and immediate anxiety reaction with symptoms such as blushing and sweating. The anxiety response is in a heightened state during social interactions such as public speaking.

The long-term implications result in high psychosocial impairment. Since there is only a thin line that divides SAD behavior from shy, reticent behavior, there have been clinical controversies on how to segregate the two and define SAD properly.

Termed as social phobias, patients with SAD concurrently suffer from depression; substance abuse, other anxiety disorders and can contemplate suicide. They are more likely to be unemployed, underemployed, disabled, and divorced, and they earn less than their healthy peers. A number of treatments are available for SAD, but the progress patients make with these treatments is often too slow and only slightly effective. Cognitive behavioral therapy has shown some promise in the recent times in overcoming the disorder.