What Type Of Social Anxiety Do You Have?
Social anxiety is a relatively common mental health issue for young people, with a prevalence of up to 9% among eighteen-year-olds. However, treatment and outcomes for those with the condition tend to be poor compared to other forms of anxiety. If the way that your social anxiety manifests could be identified, would that help treatment?
Last year, a paper in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders suggested a way of subtyping social anxiety in children and teenagers. But rather than subtyping individual patients, they propose subtyping the situations that elicit fear and avoidance behaviour. These situations include talking to unfamiliar people, starting or joining conversations, and eating in front of others. Let’s have a look at the three subtypes.
Interaction
People with the interaction subtype of social anxiety struggle with interacting directly with others, either in person or over the phone. It is especially prevalent when talking to strangers.
Observation
This subtype is characterised by anxiety when being observed by others. Common anxiety-provoking situations include eating in public and being watched while working.
