Social anxiety disorder

A disorder characterized by intense fear occurring in social situations or when behavior may be evaluated by others – during conversations, performances, eating in public, or meeting new people. The person fears acting in a way that will be humiliating or embarrassing, which leads to active avoidance of social situations.

Symptoms

• Fear of negative evaluation (also: Intense fear of negative evaluation or rejection by others, fear of being judged by others, fear of judgment, social anxiety, apprehension of criticism)
• Active avoidance of social or interpersonal situations (also: Active avoidance of social or interpersonal situations, avoidance of social situations, avoidance of social contacts, social withdrawal, avoidance of meetings)
• Intense stress in social situations (also: Intense stress during conversations, performances or meeting new people, intense stress during social interactions, great stress in social contacts, anxiety during conversations, anxiety in interactions)
• Fear of embarrassment or humiliating oneself (also: Fear of embarrassment or behaving in an embarrassing way, fear of embarrassment, fear of ridicule, apprehension of shame, fear of making a fool of oneself)
• Autonomic symptoms in social situations (also: Physical symptoms of anxiety in social situations, physiological symptoms in social situations, physical social stress symptoms, somatic symptoms in social contacts, body reaction in social situation)
• Blushing, trembling or sweating in social situations (also: Blushing or trembling during social exposure, blushing in social situation, trembling during exposure, facial reddening in social situation, tremor in social situation)
• Low self-esteem (also: Low self-esteem related to social anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling inferior in company, feeling uninteresting, lack of self-confidence socially)
• Specific somatic symptoms (urge to urinate, nausea, voice trembling) (also: urge to urinate in social situation, nausea before performance, voice trembling, throat tightness, difficulty speaking in group)
• Panic attack in triggering situation (also: Possible panic attack on exposure to social situation, panic attack during performance, panic in group of people, anxiety attack before presentation, escape from social situation)
• Fear of criticism and rejection (also: fear of criticism, sensitivity to rejection, apprehension of ridicule, careful observation of others reactions, interpreting reactions as negative)

ICD-11 diagnostic criteria

• silny lęk w sytuacjach społecznych
• obawa przed negatywną oceną innych
• unikanie sytuacji społecznych lub znoszenie ich z intensywnym lękiem
• objawy utrzymują się przez kilka miesięcy

How to recognise

In the ICD-11 framework, the core symptoms taken into account when recognising Social anxiety disorder are:

• lęk przed oceną innych
• unikanie sytuacji społecznych

Differential diagnosis

When diagnosing Social anxiety disorder, the following ICD-11 disorders should be considered in the differential diagnosis:

• Fobia specyficzna (6B03)
• Agorafobia (6B02)
• Zaburzenie związane z lękiem przed separacją (6B05)
• Zaburzenie lękowe z napadami paniki (6B01)

Synonyms and related terms

Intense fear of negative evaluation or rejection by others, fear of being judged by others, fear of judgment, social anxiety, apprehension of criticism, fear of others opinions, fear of embarrassment, apprehension of social evaluation, afraid others will judge them, worried about others opinions, afraid of criticism, afraid they will be laughed at, fears how people assess them, stressed about others opinions, avoidance of social situations, avoidance of social contacts, social withdrawal, avoidance of meetings, social isolation, avoidance of interactions, withdrawal from relationships, avoids meetings, does not want to meet people, avoids social situations, afraid of conversations, avoids people, does not want to talk to others, Intense stress during conversations, performances or meeting new people, intense stress during social interactions, great stress in social contacts

Frequently asked questions

What are the symptoms of Social anxiety disorder?

Symptoms associated with Social anxiety disorder (ICD-11 6B04) include: Fear of negative evaluation, Active avoidance of social or interpersonal situations, Intense stress in social situations, Fear of embarrassment or humiliating oneself, Autonomic symptoms in social situations, Blushing, trembling or sweating in social situations, Low self-esteem, Specific somatic symptoms (urge to urinate, nausea, voice trembling), Panic attack in triggering situation, Fear of criticism and rejection.

How is Social anxiety disorder diagnosed according to ICD-11?

According to ICD-11, the diagnostic criteria for Social anxiety disorder (6B04) include: silny lęk w sytuacjach społecznych; obawa przed negatywną oceną innych; unikanie sytuacji społecznych lub znoszenie ich z intensywnym lękiem; objawy utrzymują się przez kilka miesięcy.

What disorders are in the differential diagnosis of Social anxiety disorder?

The differential diagnosis of Social anxiety disorder (6B04) includes: Fobia specyficzna (6B03), Agorafobia (6B02), Zaburzenie związane z lękiem przed separacją (6B05), Zaburzenie lękowe z napadami paniki (6B01).

WHO ICD-11 source

View this entry in the official WHO ICD-11 browser: 6B04 – WHO ICD-11