Social anxiety may sound like something we all experience at times in life, and that is true. It is natural for a person to feel nervous or anxious in situations like being alone in a new place or going on a first date. But for those living with social anxiety disorder, those instances of anxiety can be prolonged to the point that it can drastically affect a person’s life.
Not to be confused with general shyness or introversion, social anxiety disorder goes further. It tends to make a person want to avoid everyday activities like school, work, and other social gatherings. They will still feel the daily pressures and anxieties like everyone, but may also find themselves analyzing their actions and heavily scrutinizing every move they make. Expecting the worst of outcomes is another symptom that may indicate that a person is suffering from social anxiety disorder.
Patients often begin to experience symptoms around their teens but may start in adulthood. The Mayo Clinic lists inherited traits that may be factors. They include brain structure and a person’s environment. It also lists several risk factors. Family history, negative experiences, a person’s temperament, new demands in work or social situations, as well as having an appearance or condition such as a disease or disfigurement can all play a part.
Data from the National Institute of Mental Health found that 7.1% of U.S. adults suffered from social anxiety disorder in the past year. The NIMH also found that women had a higher prevalence of the disorder compared to men at 8% to 6.1%.
One concern worth noting is not cannabis use itself, but how mental health is addressed and diagnosed. A 2015 analysis of anxiety disorders found that