Social anxiety disorder involves an intense fear or phobia of social and performance situations.
Symptoms
Symptoms in children can vary by age.
They may perform poorly at school and may have trouble attending classes.
Students with the disorder are also less likely to make friends and participate in extracurricular activities.
Those with severe SAD may drop out of school or refuse to leave home.
The most important thing it’s possible for you to do know issupport the childand help them find help.
This evaluation will often include the perspective of parents and teachers and may involve the use of school records.
Children and teens with SAD can go undetected if parents and teachers interpret the student’s behavior as shyness.
However, SAD awareness is critical, and early detection and intervention are needed to prevent long-term impairment.
Potential underlying medical conditions are explored and other explanations for the behavior such as bullying are also considered.
If the student is at risk ofself-harmor suicide, these issues are addressed immediately.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor.
If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
The same diagnostic criteria used to diagnose adults also apply to children and teenagers.
However, there are some additional caveats.
As a parent, read about the disorder and increase your awareness of what your teen is experiencing.
Be in touch with your school to coordinate efforts with teachers, school counselors, and other personnel.
It’s important to manage your child’s social anxiety in a constructive way.
Give your child or teen chances to expose him or herself to feared situations.
Don’t speak for your child or teen and offer praise when a feared situation is faced.
Choose realistic goals for your child or teen such as joining a club or making a new friend.
Then, outline steps that can be taken to achieve this goal.
Remind your child or teen of past successes and build his or her confidence.
Finally, seek help for your child or teen if anxiety becomes severe.
The longer this disorder goes undiagnosed, the more impairment your child will experience.
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