SAD diagnosed

In understanding how serious this disorder is, it is important to recognize the symptoms and seek out some sort of treatment as soon as possible to improve lifestyle. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV), describes social phobia as an intense, irrational, and persistent fear of being scrutinized or negatively evaluated by others (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). However, to meet the diagnosis for this disorder, the symptoms must be severe enough to cause significant distress or disability (Bruce & Saeed, 1999).
The DSM-IV gives a list of diagnostic criteria for social anxiety disorder. The following are the criteria according to the DSM-IV that must be met for a diagnosis of social phobia. First, there must be a marked and persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to the possibility of scrutiny by others (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). The individual fears that he or she will act in a way (or show anxiety symptoms) that will be humiliating or embarrassing to them. In children, there must be evidence of the capacity for age-appropriate social relationships with familiar people and the anxiety must occur in peer settings, not just in interactions with adults (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Also, exposure to the feared social situation almost invariably provokes anxiety, which may take the form of a panic attack (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). In children, the anxiety may be expressed by crying, tantrums, freezing, or running away from social situations with unfamiliar people (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). In many cases, the person with S.A.D. recognizes that the fear is excessive or unreasonable. In children, this feature may be absent. The feared social situations are avoided or else are endured with intense anxiety or distress (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). The avoidance, anxious anticipation, or distress in the feared social or performance situation(s) interferes significantly with the person's normal routine, occupational (academic) functioning, social activities, or relationships. In order for individuals under 18 years of age to be diagnosed, the duration of the previous listed symptoms must exist at least six months (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). The fear or avoidance cannot be due to the direct physiologic effects of a substance (e.g., drug abuse or a medication) or a general medical condition and is not better accounted for by another mental disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). In social phobia, fear and avoidance typically develop into a vicious cycle that can become severely distressing, debilitating, and demoralizing over time (Bruce & Saeed, 1999).