An example with someone with SAD

To get a sense of what this disorder is all about and how it presents itself, the following is a description of a real clinical case of a patient diagnosed with social anxiety disorder. This patient will be referred to as “Tina” and she is a 27-year old supervisor. The following paragraphs are a brief summary of some of her symptoms and the fears she faces on a daily basis. Tina, a supervisor, has been dreading going to work because of the fear that in meetings she will blush, her heart will race, and her thoughts will become so jumbled that she cannot express herself clearly. She is very worried about being seen as anxious or uncomfortable. Tina believes that her colleagues will think she is unable to perform at her job because of her anxiety. She has also begun to avoid eating lunch at work based on the fact that she gets very nervous around her co-workers and believes that she will say something embarrassing. Two months ago, Tina received a promotion at work and was anxious about the extra demands being placed upon her. She started using alcohol regularly to relax at the end of the day. Tina had always placed a lot of importance on other people's opinions of her at work, and probably had tended to be over-aware of others observing her. Now she was feeling even more self-conscious, particularly in situations involving being challenged by a staff member in front of others. She found meetings quite stressful and had avoided attending on a number of occasions. She did not understand what was happening to her and was considering requesting an extended leave from her employer.
Tina states that she has always been nervous around authority figures such as teachers in school or higher ups when working at past jobs. She has always found it hard to date and never had a big group of friends growing up. She has a few very close friends who she confides in and shares everything with. She states that people around her see her as a serious, quiet, and shy person. Tina has been working with her current company for 3 years; her second job since graduating from college. She says she does not like changing jobs and being in new, unfamiliar situations.
Tina describes her mother as a hard-working, "stressed" person, and her father as fairly strict and a perfectionist. Both parents encouraged her and her younger brother to focus on work and to strive in their respective jobs. This gives you an example of how social anxiety disorder is displayed in a single patient and why it is considered such a disabling disorder.